The Youngest Campione
by bubbajack
Summary: EMIYA succeeded in his plan...He is reborn in a new universe with a new family for his efforts. With a chance to try again, can the former Counter Guardian become a true hero, like he always dreamed? However, there is more on the line than his ideals and humanity, for gods walk among men...and even darker things lurk in the shadows worse than any Heretic God. Harem! Rated T-M!
1. Chapter 1

**The Youngest Campione**

**By: Bubbajack**

**Beta: Diller/Grammarly**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FSN or Campione.**

* * *

**Ch.1: Consequences of victory.**

"Emiya-kun, watch out behind you!" Rin cried out in alarm.

But it was a warning that came too late for one Emiya Shirou as before he could think about moving several swords pierced his back making him stagger and fall onto his side facing his attacker.

As he lay there, the back Shirou couldn't help but ask "Archer...why?"

His face was a blank slate as he replied coolly, "To save you, and to save me."

"What do you mean traitor?!" Arturia yelled at him from her still chained position.

He seemed to think about responding for a moment, before shrugging and saying "I may as well tell you seeing as hopefully soon it won't matter anyway as I will cease to exist. You see, I am not a typical Heroic Spirit, like those from the past. I am from the future, thirty years in the future to be exact." Archer told the two Masters and Servant.

"What, but that can't be! For someone to become a heroic spirit in this day and age is nearly impossible!" Rin said shocked.

A bitter smile on his face, Archer replied "Nearly, being the key word Rin. Anyway, I was someone who wanted to be a Hero a Hero of Justice, someone who saved everyone no matter the cost...and it cost me everything; my friends, my life, even my ideals."

"A Hero of Justice? No, it couldn't be...you can't be?" Rin said too afraid to finish her sentence.

Locking eyes with his former master and friend, Archer raised a white eyebrow and asked, "I can't be who, Rin, Emiya Shirou? The same Emiya Shirou, who always charges in head first to help people, expect nothing in return? The same boy who, while being blinded by useless ideals couldn't see how much everyone around him cared about him? Or the same Emiya Shirou who would easily throw away his life for others without a second thought for his own safety? Including...including making a pact with Alaya to revive those who are already dead, becoming a Counter Guardian after death in the process."

"You made a pact with Alaya?" Rin asked more astonished my her Servants foolishness than anything. As all magi know that those who make agreements with Alaya in life get whatever they desire...But in death, they act as guardians of humanity destroying any threat to the human race as a whole... even if that threat is humanity itself.

"Indeed I did, and it was the worst mistake I ever made. But thankfully, that mistake is about to be undone." Archer said as he watched Shirou's breathing become shallower.

"You're wrong." Shirou gasped out before coughing up some blood and continuing "Even if I die here and you no longer exist that won't change one fundamental thing about you or me."

"And what is that?" Archer asked raising a pale eyebrow.

"That you, just like me, are distorted. You can't help but want to save people who are in trouble it's who you are at your core...and why your Element and Origin is both Sword. You *cough* were reforged in that fire to protect others no matter what you say otherwise. That is why *cough cough* you became a Counter Guardian isn't it? You thought you could continue to save lives even after death?" the dying Shirou asked his embittered counterpart.

The red-clad servant nodded, "Yes that was the original reason but it doesn't matter now." Archer said firing a final arrow in between his past selves eyes silencing him forever.

There was a moment of shocked silence from both Rin and Saber and then they both cried out in outrage.

"You monster, how could you Archer?! Rin asked frantically as she cried tears.

Altria's reaction was vastly different, however. Her face was devoid of expression and completely cold as she stated to Archer bluntly while staring at her deceased master "You will pay for this so I swear as a King."

She swore this oath even as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Suddenly, shafts of light began emitting from Shirou's dead body and then all was consumed in an explosion of light...

* * *

"Well, you've really done it this time Emiya." Said a whimsical, feminine voice as his vision began to clear.

"Huh, who said that?" Archer said sitting up and finding himself in an all-white room, sitting down on a white leather couch. He looked to his right and found a woman with long, white hair and crimson eyes sitting behind a desk made out of white marble while she typed away furiously on a Macintosh laptop.

'Illya?' Archer had thought before he noticed she was older, at least in her thirties before he asked "Who are you, and where am I, and how did you know my name?" he asked.

"Well you're correct in assuming I'm not Illyasviel von Eisenberg, but I digress. I suppose some introductions are in order. I am Akasha better known to you mages as the Root." She said giving him a warm smile.

Archer blinked twice and then said dumbly "The root is a woman?" causing her to laugh.

"Oh no not at all, I am just formatting myself in a way you can comprehend. I must say though, congratulations are in order. You are the first person in all of recorded history to defy fate and actually do something I didn't account for by going back in time, killing your past self, and erasing your own existence." She said chuckling as if she had just been told a good joke.

"Umm, thank you?" Archer asked confused at what was going on, as he thought he was supposed to cease to exist, not end up talking to the Root herself.

"Well, the thing about the whole cease to exist bit is, I think that would be letting you off too easy. So I've decided to grant you a special punishment slash reward for being the first person to entertain me so much and cause me the headache of having to alter the destinies of several hundred thousand people." Akasha told him reading his thoughts.

When Archer heard that his eyes widened for a moment and then closed as he sighed and said "So then even after all that, my plan was for nothing? Typical." He said in his sarcasm thick voice.

"Oi, don't say that till you hear what you're getting into!" Akasha pouted.

Archer rolled his eyes at her antics but nodded saying "Alright what is this punishment that is also a reward?"

"That's the spirit! Now, what I've come up with is rather elegant I think. You will be reincarnated in a different universe as one Godou Kusanagi whose destiny is even greater than your own. You will, however, keep all of your current memories' and skills." Akasha told him.

Archer narrowed his eyes and said "That's the punishment isn't it? Being forced to fulfill this boy's role in his place and continue to protect people."

"Is it, I'm not really sure, but it's all in how you look at it I suppose." She said with a shrug.

Sighing, he resisted the urge to throw up his hands in defeat as he said, "Well it's not like I have much of a choice do I?"

"Nope, none at all." She said still smiling.

Narrowing his silver eyes at her, he muttered, "Damn you, alright fine then. When do I get started on my punishment slash reward?" he asked, eager to get out of this woman's presence.

"Right after you read over and memorize the contents of this file." She told him sweetly either not hearing or more than likely ignoring his tone of voice and pushing a cream colored file toward him.

He picked up the thin folder and after opening it read the contents:

Name: Kusanagi Godou

Birthdate: 1996

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Family:

Ichirou Kusanagi (Grandfather)

Shizuka Kusanagi (Sister)

Chiyo Kusanagi (Grandmother)

Mayo Kusanagi (Mother)

Genzou Kusanagi (Father)

Sakura Kouzuki (Cousin)

Archer raised his eyebrow at being born in '96 when initially he was born in sometime in '87. He decided to ignore this though, in favor of asking "Before you send me off, could you tell me what the world I'm going to is like? What can you tell me about the state of magic there? Will I have to deal with Gaia messing with my magecraft like usual or…?"

Akasha smiled half lidding her eyes and steepling her fingers as she stared at him for a moment before she replied,e "Well since you asked. The world you are going to is stuck in a perpetual Twilight of the Age of Gods. The Gods do still exist. Meaning your magic will be more potent, but Alaya also exists to a point, meaning your projections will still be affected by degradation due to humanity separating themselves from the Gods."

Archer quickly dissected the information given to him and deduced several things. This world was likely much more dangerous due to gods and who knows what other kinds of magical creatures still being present. Two, not only his magic, but magic, in general, would be more powerful than when he was alive. And lastly, if Alaya existed in some form he had to be very careful not to fall into its clutches again.

After taking a few seconds to process all of that, he nodded and said, "Ok got it. Now, is there anything else about this new persona of mine I need to know about? Archer asked.

Only for Akasha to smile at him and respond "Enjoy dealing with your unintentional Harem Emiya-san!" she said cheerfully before she hit a big red button that was not on her desk a moment ago. This caused Archer to get the feeling he was freefalling out of the sky.

'_Damn that woman. Something tells me my life just got a whole lot more complicated. Would it have been too much to ask for my existence to just end? Of course it would; as apparently as even when I win, I still lose.'_ He thought bitterly as he fell towards the roof of what appeared to be a hospital.

He phased through the room as if it wasn't even there and kept falling through the floors until he stopped in a delivery room. A beautiful woman in her mid-twenties to early thirties, with black hair, and dark green almost black eyes, wearing a hospital gown was groaning in pain. A man who also had black hair and light green eyes was currently having his hand crushed while being cursed at by the woman.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT I'M LIKE THIS, YOU AND YOUR GORGEOUS FACE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" she swore.

Grimacing in pain the man replied "Yes dear, it all my fault you agreed to marry me, now push!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU BASTARD!" she screeched even as she pushed yet again.

The former counter guardian found himself being pulled towards the birthing woman's' stomach. It was then that realization dawned on him and he mentally cursed 'You mean I have to go through puberty again! _'Fuck!'_

He then flipped the bird to the heavens while shouting"FUCK YOU AKASHA!"

He was still cursing up a storm moments later, but it merely came out as the first cries of a newborn baby.

* * *

He was then held by his new mother Mayo Kusanagi and his father Genzou eventually two older people were allowed in and held him. He assumed they were his Grandmother Chiyo and Grandfather Ichirou. They both looked good for their ages, Chiyo having very little gray in her hair and few wrinkles on her face gave the appearance of a kindly grandmother. Ichirou by contrast gave off an air of a playboy past his prime, who still had it. His hair was silver on the sides while black and slick back on top and he had more wrinkles than his wife, but it made him look distinguished.

Ichirou took him in his arms and rocked him in his arms saying "Your gonna be just like your Grampa when you grow up. Yes, you are."

Archer noticed his new Grandmother giving his grandfather a stern sideways look.e Taking him from the man and smacking him upside his head, she said, "No he won't not if I have anything to say about it."

'_Well, this is…ah to heck with it, I'm going to sleep.'_ Archer thought.

* * *

**Three years and three months later**

Godou's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. He took a moment to stretch and rub his eyes before he glanced at the clock beside his bed that was held in a resin dragon's claw that he got from Ichirou-jiji last Christmas. He noted it was 6:40am. Shaking his hair out of his face, he hopped out of his bed and thought, _'Time to make breakfast.'_

As fortune would have it, his parents couldn't cook to save either of their lives. They were so bad, in fact, that they usually went to Jiji and Chiyo-basan's for dinner which is the only time he really got to eat during the day. Not wanting to starve to death, he made it his mission to cook as soon as he was able. He somehow miraculously managed to survive three years and some change like this, likely because his mother just stopped breastfeeding him.

'_I swear, I'm going to end up with a breast fetish because of that.'_ He thought before he shook his head and soldiered on.

He had decided he wanted some real food so he walked casually towards the kitchen, not expecting anyone to be up yet. But, much to his surprise, a dim light spilled from the end of the hall that led to the kitchen. He cautiously crept closer and made out the voices of both of his parents talking. As he got closer, he realized they were, in fact, bickering, something they did more often than not.

"What are we going to do Mayo? We can't even feed the kid we have let alone another one." Genzou complained.

"I know that Gen, and we wouldn't even be having this conversation if you could keep your dick in your pants."

"Hey! It takes two to tango sweetheart, so I'm not the only one to blame here." He then paused. Likely to take a drink, as Shirou heard the sound of slurping and something being set on a solid surface before he finished cockily. "Besides it's not like you never said no when I whipped it out."

'_Okay, I think I'm going to stop this now before they scar me for life.'_ Shirou had thought before he walked into the kitchen.

His mother noticed him first frowning slightly before she said concernedly "Godou-kun, did we wake you up sweetie?"

Shirou shook his head in response to the question before answering in slightly incorrect Japanese "I'm hunggy."

Rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment his father said "Well unless you can cook brat you'll have to wait till we head over to your grandparents in an hour or so for brunch."

In response, Shirou nodded and said "I kan kook Old Man."

Scowling slightly Genzou said "Can't you just call me dad?"

Shirou ignored the often asked question in favor of finding a folding step ladder and collecting things from the fridge. He came out with eggs, orange juice, and pre-cooked sausages. He then pushed the stepping stool in front of the stovetop before he rummaged around in the cupboards to the left of it for a moment coming out with a skillet. It wasn't until he set the skillet on the stove and lit the front most burner that his parents actually reacted.

Mayo hastily got up and turned the burner off just as he was about to crack an egg on the side of the skillet. Giving his mother a deadpan glare he asked, "Why?"

"It's not safe for a three-year-old to be cooking on a stove," Mayo told her son.

Raising an eyebrow he retorted "You wanna do it?" Seeing his mother hesitate, Emiya sighed and said "Just watch okay?"

He then proceeded to turn the burner back on and cracked the egg on the side of the skillet with one hand. Quickly pulling it apart before tossing it aside and doing the same to a half dozen more eggs and then put all of the sausages in the skillet with the eggs. He then handed an empty tea kettle to his mother and said "Fill with wata pwese."

Mayo quickly did as her son asked and by the time she came back he had a teaspoon full of jasmine 'dragon pearls' which were high-end tea leaves wrapped in jasmine leaves or some other flavor enhancer. When left to seep, both the tea and the enhancer, in this case, jasmine, would soak in the boiling water enhancing the flavor.

Mayo watched as her ever distant son made a full breakfast in a matter of minutes. He then divvied it up into three portions handing the largest one containing half the food to his mother before carrying the two smaller plates to the table and going back for the tea kettle. He placed it in the middle of the table along with three cups.

Genzou upon seeing how the portions were divided complained "Hey, how come she gets more than both of us?"

Emiya, who was busy pouring out the first cups of tea, replied "Mommies eating for two."

This caused both parents to look at each other and blanched. Turning back to her son, Mayo asked "Godou, how much did you hear before you came in here?"

Pushing the cups of tea towards his parents he mumbled "Too much." Before he began eating his food.

* * *

Just two weeks shy of nine months later, on the fourth of December Shizuka Kusanagi was born. Emiya spent the day his mother was in labor at his grandparents' house, with his grandfather Ichirou. Emiya spent most of the day sequestering himself in the play room his grandparents had set up for him. But he didn't touch any of the toys. No; instead, he trained. Doing pushups, sit-ups, squats, and running through kata's of his personal style Crane Wing Three Realm. It was a combination of what he was able to piece together from Souichirou Kuzuki's Snake style and the Fake Priests Bajiquan.

While his primary use for Crane Wing was bladed combat, he could use it for unarmed combat as well. The base stance of his hybrid style consisted of him standing with his arms held at right angles to his sides, his legs spread apart and slightly bent, leaving his chest blatantly wide open for attack. Then when they took the obvious bait, thinking him inexperienced he would dodge and be able to counter attack through various means.

He ran through various katas for so long that he completely lost track of his time and surroundings. This is why he almost jumped when he heard Ichirou's voice come from behind him, saying "I'm sorry to interrupt your play fighting Godou-kun, but I thought you might like some lunch."

Turning and calmly facing his grandfather, Emiya replied coolly "That's sounds fine Jiji. What would you like to eat?"

Ichirou stood beside the doorway saying "I was going to ask you that Godou-kun."

Shrugging he replied "I don't dislike anything just tell me what you want so I can cook it."

Chortling Ichirou replied "I think you're too young to cook yet Godou-kun, maybe in a few years."

Giving his grandfather a sideways look as they made their way towards the kitchen, he replied "I've been cooking for almost nine months now Jiji, and keeping the house habitable for just as long."

Ichirou stopped dead at his barely five-year-old grandson's proclamation "You're not serious?"

Seeing the deadpan look he was being given in response, all Ichirou could do was hang his head in shame and think. _'I knew you and Genzou were career oriented Mayo-chan, but I never would've thought you would pick your jobs over the wellbeing of your own child.'_

He then knelt down and putting his hands on his grandson's shoulders he said "Godou-kun while you're here, you just focus on being a kid and having fun alright? Leave things like cooking and cleaning to the adults."

Shrugging off the older man's grip, Emiya replied "If you insist Jiji, but I really don't mind doing those things."

During lunch, in which the two had a western lunch consisting of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Ichirou asked, "So Godou-kun are you excited to be an older brother?"

Shrugging in response Emiya replied "Not sure yet, I just hope she's not going to keep me up all night crying and then follow me around everywhere when she gets old enough to walk. It'll be annoying if that's the case."

Chuckling, Ichirou reached over the table and ruffled the boys' hair, causing him to scowl at him which just made Ichirou laugh harder before he added jokingly. "Come now Godou-kun, you'll never get a young lady to like you if you act like that all the time."

"Don't care." The former counter guardian replied.

Ichirou gave him a knowing look before saying, "You don't care now, but in a couple of years you will, believe me."

"Hn." He said as he rolled his dark-green eyes.

Ichirou chuckled as he stood, saying "Wait here, I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Ichirou came back with stained red oak wood box roughly the size of a loaf of bread. Setting it down in front of his grandson before resuming his seat Ichirou asked, "Would you like to play a game Godou-kun?"

Emiya was half tempted to say no, and get back to his training, but… _'I never really had grandparents when I was alive. Well, there was Raiga, but he doesn't really count.'_

The moment he ended up in this universe he promised himself that no matter what, his 'parents' wouldn't replace the Old Man, Taiga, or Illya in his heart. So he kept them at a distance. Also, maybe it was because he was paranoid, or because he'd lost his original birth parents, but he was afraid to get too attached to them lest they were too mysterious disappear from his life.

'_Not that it matters, there barely around as it is. But anyway, I've got grandparents now so maybe I should enjoy it.'_ He thought to himself.

"What kind of game? He asked.

Smiling a little Ichirou took the top off the box and said "This is a box full of some of the oldest board games known to man. I figured we could start with tic-tac-toe and work our way up to harder things like checkers, chess, and shogi. What do you say?"

Smirking a little, the youngest Kusanagi male replied "Ok Jiji, let's play."

Four hours and the thirty-eight game later and Ichirou was shaking his head in stunned disbelief, for he had not won a single game of tic-tac-toe against his five-year-old grandson.

'_It's like he thinks thirty moves ahead…Wait, what if that's really the case? What if Godou is actually a child prodigy?' _Ichirou wondered.

Deciding to test his theory, he cleared his throat and said "Godou-kun, let's play a different game."

"Ok, what did you have in mind Jiji?" Godou asked.

In response, Ichirou pulled out a checkered wax wood and ebony board along with figurines Emiya could tell were carved from obsidian and real ivory. He waited patiently as Ichirou finished setting up the pieces and even let him explain how every piece worked. By the time he was finished, Emiya had about sixty different strategies' ready to go. In other words, Ichirou never stood a chance.

The two had a stack of sandwiches for dinner just so they could continue playing, and by the time they called it a night, Emiya had won thirty-two times to his Grandfather's twenty-eight. Emiya had thrown almost half the games so as not to hurt his elders pride too badly.

"You play a mean game of chess Godou-kun. But I think it's time for us to catch some shuteye. Before that though, how about I tell you a bedtime story?"

Emiya just about snapped at the older man. He was a hairsbreadth away from saying how he wasn't a little kid and could take care of himself. He opened his mouth to do just that only to realize 'I am just a little kid.'

So instead he asked, "What kind of story did you have in mind?"

Ichirou led him to the room he and his wife had set up for him, once he'd seen to it the boy was comfortable he left, coming back shortly afterward with a thick leather bound tome. Sitting in a nearby rocking chair, Ichirou cleared his throat before asking "What type of story would you like to hear? This book here is my life's work, and it is full of all kinds' mythology and legends from various periods of human history. From ancient Sumerian to Greek, to Roman, Welsh, Chinese, Irish, English, Scandinavian, to our own Japanese mythology, it's all here."

"That's pretty impressive Jiji," Emiya said, a bit of respect entering his tone.

Preening at the respect entering his grandsons tone for the first time since he'd known him, Ichirou replied "Thank you. Now is there any particular legend you'd like to hear Godou-kun."

"King Arthur, tell me about King Arthur." He requested.

"Ah, fancy yourself a knight do you? Alright, let's see here…ah, here we are." Ichirou said upon finding the proper page clearing his throat before beginning.

For a time, Archer allowed himself to get lost in the memories of his past. Back when he had friends, a semblance of a family, when he fought alongside a king, and when he still had _**her**_.

His thoughts soured with the story, as Lancelot's affair with Guinevere was discovered, he lost _**her**_ to time. When Lancelot slaughtered his brothers' in arms to save the queen, he loved his friends had started to abandon him. By the time Mordred was rejected by the king, all his friends were had left him in one form or another. He threw himself selflessly into battle after battle as King Arthur and his knights went off in search of the Holy Grail, and Mordred led his people in insurrection against their king. By the Battle of Camlann, he had had made the dumbest decision of his life. He had become a counter Guardian and resigned himself to countless centuries of slaughter.

Emiya was drawn out of his downward spiral of reverie by the sound of a book closing. He glanced up at Ichirou who asked "Did you enjoy the tale Godou-kun?"

Nodding, Emiya replied "Yeah, Thanks, Jiji."

Ichirou responded by ruffling his hair kindly before getting up and heading towards the door. Just as he was about to leave he heard his grandson ask "Jiji?"

"Yes Godou-kun?" he asked turning around.

Taking a moment to formulate his thoughts, "Do you think that King Arthur or any other of the heroes from myth for that matter regret what they did in their lifetimes?"

Seeing the confused look the older man was giving him he tried again "What I mean is a good ninety percent of myths end up with the hero dying tragically right? So do you think they thought it was worth going through all the trouble of trying to be a hero in the first place if, in the end, everything they fought for was destroyed?"

Ichirou walked back to his grandsons' bed and sat back down in the rocking chair before he rubbed the stubble that had accumulated on his chin in contemplation as he said.e "While I can't speak for them Godou-kun, it was once said that all it took for evil to triumph was for good people to do nothing. So it is quite possible that; even though their lives ended on a sour note, that had they not acted at all, things could have gotten even worse. Brittan would have been run over by the Saxons and the Picts for example."

Ichirou saw his grandson nod in acceptance, yet, the elder Kusanagi felt he didn't fully accept the answer he gave him. So, he decided to tell him something an old friend told him when he was younger.

Clearing his throat and getting the boy's attention in the process Ichirou unknowingly recited a phrase that would have a profound effect on the former counter Guardians life thereafter "Through action, a Man becomes a Hero. Through Death, a Hero becomes a Legend. Through Time, a Legend becomes a Myth. And by learning from the Myth… …A man takes action."

Emiya stared at the physically older man in something more than surprise but less than awe. The words he just spoke had a profound truth to them. Not only that, but the words like spokes on a wheel. Each leading to the other in a way that it went full circle. It was ironic in a way, as it mirrored his own fate rather well.

By fighting alongside a legend the likes of King Arthur and against that of Cu Chulainn and Herakles, he sought to become a Hero of Justice. By his want to become a hero he died becoming a legendary Counter Guardian of Alaya. In time, he became a bitter thing of myth, which caused him to take action and kill his younger self, hence his current situation. But he could also see it for how it was meant to be seen. Heroes rising through every age urged on by the myths and legends that proceeded them. A cycle of heroes incarnate.

"New Legends will always supplant the old," The youngest Kusanagi muttered to himself.

"I guess you could say that. It's more entrusting things to the future. Working to make things better then so others can make the now even better. Continuously working to improve the world. Inspiring others to keep trying. To know that no matter how hard the world tries to crush you, you just get back up. Did they have regrets? Of course, they did. Everyone as regrets. Everyone has moments where they think about what they could've done better. What they should've done better and they carry those with them. However, if they had never stepped up, Evil would've succeeded and made things far worse. The true legacy of heroes is that they leave knowledge and hope. Knowledge for future generations to learn from so that they don't make the same mistakes and hope that things can get better if we keep trying." Ichirou explained to the five-year-old.

"Knowledge to learn from and hope to inspire others huh?" Godou mused.

A weird expression appeared on the boy's face as he said that before he looked at his grandfather and to Ichirou shock and elation smiled at him.

He watched as his grandson mulled over his words. His face went from melancholy to sour, to bitter, to sardonic, and then to content all within the span of a few seconds. After which, his face became a blank slate like that of the serene pond before he said "You know your pretty smart Jiji." He complimented his grandfather.

The older of the two rubbed his head saying

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there Jiji. Well, I won't keep you up any longer. Goodnight."

Smiling, Ichirou replied "Goodnight Godou-kun." Before he left the room.

After the old man had left, Emiya laid awake and thought over Ichirou's words. Hands clasped behind his head as he stared up at his slowly rotating fan he _thought 'Is that what I did, did I cop out by going back and succeeding in killing my past self?'_

He then thought back to some of his janitorial jobs as a counter guardian and almost wretched. Taking a few deep breaths he managed to calm himself down and think _'No, no I definitely did the right thing.'_ He thought.

He muttered to himself as he began to nod off "Maybe, maybe I can do it right this time…"

* * *

By the time Genzou showed up with Chiyo to pick up his son at around one 'o' clock the next day, he had found the young boy and his father-in-law engaged in an intense chess match. He smirked at that happy to see the boy getting knocked down a peg or two. He silently walked closer, hoping to see his father-in-law's victory, only to be stunned to find it was not his father in law who was winning but his son.

Not looking up from the board, Godou spoke, saying "Are you just going to stand there gawking old man, or are you going to tell me the name of my new brother or sister?"

"Godou-kun, be nice." Chiyo chastised pointing a finger at her grandson before her face softened and she asked "Did you have fun with your Grandfather?"

Not looking Godou replied, "Yes Grandma."

"Good." She said nodding before she stopped and looked at her husband suspiciously "You didn't teach him anything inappropriate did you Ichi-kun?"

Ichirou opened his mouth to respond only for Godou to pull his fat from the fryer by saying "All he did was cook for me play board games and read me a bedtime story grandma."

His eyes flicked to hers for a moment and she saw the absolute sincerity in his eyes as he assured her "That's it."

Genzou, who had been scowling at his son's usual way of addressing him up until now, finally answered him "Her name is Shizuka and hopefully she'll be better behaved than you boy."

"Uh-huh, checkmate by the way Jiji," Godou replied.

Ichirou looked at the chessboard owlishly to find one of his grandson's pawns had taken his king. Shaking his head in bemusement, Ichirou replied "You never cease to amaze me Godou-kun. By the way, if you need Chiyo or me to go to the store and pick up cooking ingredients' for you, you need just ask."

As Ichirou said this, he gave his son-in-law a clearly disapproving look, causing him to look away in shame. Chiyo meanwhile looked in between the two men in apparent confusion. Emiya broke the tense atmosphere by saying "Thanks, Jiji, I'll keep that in mind. C'mon Old Man, get me home so I can greet my new little sister."

He then proceeded to get up and head towards the door. But not before his grandmother was able to trap him in a hug and kiss him on the cheek before saying "You be nice to your younger sister you hear?"

"Yes, grandma." He replied with a half grimace half smirk on his face as he attempted to wriggle out of her grasp.

Chiyo gave him another kiss on the cheek in response just to poke fun at him before she finally let him go, chuckling as he wiped at his face while heading for the front door. After she was sure he was out of earshot, she turned back to the two meen. Placing her hands on her hips stared them down pointedly and said "Would one of you like to tell me what's going on?"

Genzou opened his mouth to respond, but Ichirou beat him to it, saying "It seems as though Mayo-chan and Genzou-kun favor their careers over making sure their son is safe at home and well fed. He seems to have been fending for himself recently and has, through the grace of some deity, taught himself how to cook in his parent's absence."

Chiyo looked at her husband "Your joking right Ichi-kun? He's joking right Genzou-kun?"

The Kusanagi matriarch looked between her stony-faced husband who was never this serious, and Genzou, who looked so ashamed he couldn't even look her in the eyes, and she realized the truth of the matter. She knew her grandson was distant, and that he kept people at arms length. Now she knew why.

Glaring at her son-in-law, she marched over to him stiffly all the while saying in a dangerously calm tone "Is this true, Genzou-kun? Have you and Mayo-chan been leaving Godou-kun all by himself while you go off to work?"

His mother-in-law's words cut him like a knife. Genzou flinched at the sheer accusation in her tone.e But he steeled his spine and straightened before he replied. "Yes sometimes, we do our best to be there for him but more often than not, our schedules us out until long after he's gone to bed for the night."

What Genzou didn't say was that whenever he and his wife made it home, they would find plates full of covered food waiting for them at the kitchen table, courtesy of their son. Although Genzou would never admit it, those plates of food were a welcome sight after a hard day of work.

"Unacceptable, it is completely utterly unacceptable that a five-year-old should be left alone for so long let alone have to cook for himself like this. And now you have another child. Tell me Genzou-kun, what will you do now?" Chiyo questioned.

Genzou spread his arms in despair responded "Well Mayo is on paid maternity leave for the next six months, so hopefully by then we'll be able to figure something out."

Chiyo shook her head in disgust at Genzou's seemingly uncaring attitude. She then and said in a flat tone, "Should you fail to 'figure something out' you can bring both him and Shizuka-chan over here and we'll look after them."

"We couldn't burden you like that-"Genzou began, only to be cut off by his mother-in-law who said "It would be no trouble. I'm sure Godou-kun could help me around the store and at least then we'd know he'd be safe and well looked after."

Genzou winced at the insult but said nothing deciding he needed to get home instead. Turning on his heel without so much as a goodbye, Genzou left his in-laws home. He found that boy sitting patiently in the backseat. On sight of him Genzou felt his blood boil at the sight of him. He wanted so badly to lash out at him. Didn't he appreciate all the hard work he did to keep a roof over his head and food in his belly?

'_No-' _Genzou thought_-'He's always rude he never calls me dad, and always keeps his distance from me…is he, is he really my son?'_

* * *

Emiya noted the ride home was unusually quiet. He watched the scenery fly by while also watching his father figure out of the corner of his eye. He was tense, his shoulders were stiff, he was gripping the steering wheel so hard his palms were turning white, and he had a grimace on his face. The former Counter Guardian didn't know the specifics. But he knew it was about him due to the fact his father would send him especially hard furtive glances every now and again when he thought he wasn't looking.

Finally, they stopped in front of the house. It was a modest Japanese style home, just down the street and around the corner from the local shrine. It had white washed walls topped with slanted tile surrounded the house properly, and the tiling covered the roof as well. Wood and glass inlaid sliding doors covered the structure surrounded by an open-air porch and ironically enough, the house had the same layout as his old home. Yet is was smaller, really only large enough to fit half a dozen people comfortably. And yet, despite that, there were several acres separating the walls from the house proper, almost as if it was supposed to be expanded on but never was.

As Emiya made his way across the lawn, he could already hear the sound of a newborn crying at the top of her lungs. Upon opening the front door, he could hear his little sister, Shizuka, announcing her displeasure for all to hear. Finding the noise slightly irritating, he decided to do something about it. So he headed towards the source of the sound.

He found his mother pacing in the living room holding and pink swaddled infant in her arms that she was gently rocking back and forth while making shushing noises. He tried and failed several times to get his mother's attention, but she couldn't hear him over the cries of his newborn sister.

'_Ok let's try this.'_ Emiya thought before he put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle.

It ended up working better than he expected as, not only did he get his mother's attention, but Shizuka stopped crying upon hearing the shrill sound.

"Son, when did you get back?" his mother asked.

"A few minutes ago." He said absentmindedly while staring at the bundle in her arms.

Seeing his gaze, Mayo asked, "Would you like to hold her son?"

Seeing him nod, Mayo leaned down and gently deposited the pink bundle into his waiting arms. He gently took her in his arms, making sure to support her head. Her face was cherubic full cheeked and toothless, but her dark-green eyes were wide open and they stared at him in wonder. Although he didn't realize it, he was staring back at her equally surprised…the look in his face amused the newborn causing her to smile and giggle at the one who held her.

Upon seeing such innocent laughter, untainted yet by hatred, bigotry, and general melancholy that existing in the world would no doubt bring with age and experience, Emiya couldn't help but smile himself. Here he held an entirely innocent life in his hands, and as he held her; he thought back to Illya, how he was able to be her big brother if only for a while.

His thoughts soured a little as he remembered how he threw himself into his training instead of grieving her loss. He told himself he was growing strong to protect others so that no one else would ever have to feel like he did upon losing the snowy-haired homunculus. But, in truth, he was lying to himself. He threw himself into his training so as not to have to deal with the emotions related to her loss. It was only after several centuries as a Counter Guardian that he realized this.

His smile became more akin to a grimace as he recalled this, which in turn caused Shizuka to fuss. Seeing what he had done, he cooed at her and made funny faces and sounds, causing her to giggle again. He then took her over to the couch and sank into it, still making goofy faces and smiling at the newborn.

Mayo for her part couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her typically distant and cold son was laughing and making funny faces to amuse his new baby sister. She'd never seen this side of him before and it shocked her in all honesty. She'd tried to get him to smile, to laugh all the time when he was younger, she eventually gave up realizing that he was a dour yet dangerous individual. Then in an instant those perceptions were shattered. Her son could laugh and smile, he just chose not to.

"Ah, I see you finally got Shizuka-chan to stop crying. What was wrong with her?" Genzou asked coming up from behind her.

Still numb, Mayo shook her head slightly and replied "It wasn't me."

Walking next to his wife Genzou asked, "What do you mean?"

In response; Mayo pointed to the couch, where Godou was still entertaining Shizuka.

"What the-"Genzou began only for his wife to finish "I know, who would have thought he was capable of that?"

Both parents watched as the two children bonded. One with a contented smile, and the other with a suspicious grimace on their features.

* * *

It was around midnight that night when Emiya was awoken by the sound of Shizuka crying. He frowned slightly, not in annoyance, but at concern for the newborn girls' wellbeing. Throwing his covers off, he made his way towards her room down the hall. Quietly opening the door, he crept into her room on cats paws. Her room was primarily pink and it had all manner of girly things in it, pictures of cats and puppies littered the walls. On the far side, away from the window, which was covered by curtains was a crib. Walking up to the wooden bars, he looked in on his squirming little sister. She seemed upset for some reason he could smell she didn't need her diaper changed which means she either wanted to be held or was hungry. In order to accomplish either, he had to get her out of her crib.

'_Ok, I've fought vampires, ghouls, and insane magi. Getting a baby out of a crib should be a piece of cake right?'_ he thought to himself.

It turned out to be slightly more challenging than he thought. When he fought vampires, ghouls, and magi, he had access to magic and he wasn't trying to get someone out, he was trying so slaughter said individuals'. Still he managed. Pulling himself up by bracing himself against the bars, upon reaching the top he faced another dilemma, how to get Shizuka out of the crib.

Balancing himself on the edge of her crib, Emiya decided to do something he saw in a spy movie once. Using his legs, he did the splits bracing himself above the crib. This kept his arms free, allowing him to pick up his squealing little sister before he straightened up and jumped slightly to the side before hopping off the crib altogether, bending his knees to absorb the impact.

After he had straightened, he looked at Shizuka and said "There that wasn't so bad, huh Shizuka?"

Shizuka just giggled and smiled in response. Resisting the urge to laugh himself, the former Counter Guardian carried his little sister to the kitchen where a highchair had been set up for her that was used by him when he was her age. Placing her in it, he then went to the fridge and came back out with a half-finished baby bottle. Popping it in the microwave for half a minute, he tested it on the back of his hand before he offered it to Shizuka herself.

She readily took to the bottle, causing her older brother to sigh in relief, glad that's all it was and not something serious. Still, this scare made him resolute in beginning his magic training anew_. 'It'll be a lot easier this time now that I know my element, origin, and skillset unlike last time.'_

But before he could even begin, he needed to open his magic circuits. After making sure Shizuka was well-fed, he got her settled back in her room, he went back to his own, shaking his head in disdain as she passed his parents door. Never once did either of them stir to check on their newborn daughter. Once he was safely back in his room, he took a thick leather belt and bit down on it deeply while breathing through his nose to calm himself.

'_I've felt worse, I can do this.'_ He mentally told himself before he cocked the mental gun in his head…and fired it.

He was glad he had the foresight to clamp down on the belt because turning on his magic circuits for the first time hurt worse than he remembered. He let loose a groan into the leather as he collapsed onto his bed, the feeling of more than two dozen rods being forced through his nerves as darkness claimed his vision…

* * *

Emiya awoke with a groan. His vision was blurry as if he'd taken a solid knock to the head, so he took a moment to let everything to come into focus. Once it did he looked at his clock and noted it was 9:35am. As he sat up, he observed his whole body ached. It took him a moment, but he remembered why he was feeling so crummy this morning.

Wanting to see what he had to work with, he fired the gun inside of his mind, turning on his circuits, all twenty-seven of them. He then checked his total prana capacity and nearly passed out when he found he had thirteen-hundred units of prana available to him, almost five times what he had when he was alive. Upon further inspection, he found each of his circuits was holding forty-eight units of prana, the sheer number of circuits he possessed, coupled with.

'_Ok how did my circuits go from being E-rank in quality to A-rank?' _he wondered.

Mentally slapping himself Emiya thought _'Ok calm down and think Emiya, what would Rin do in a situation like this?'_

Funnily enough, he could practically hear his friends' voice saying,_ "Examine the facts dummy."_

Chuckling at the fact that even in his head she mocked him, Emiya began to calmly evaluate his current predicament._ 'I have almost five times as much prana but how? How did I end up getting all this extra prana? Was it a side effect of activating them early-.'_

"That's it!" he said aloud "I had, for the longest time, converted my nerves into makeshift magic circuits! Rin told me they had atrophied to the point they were hardly able to hold prana by the time I'd activated them for the first time. Which means, these are my circuits at in their prime." He deduced smirking to himself and patting himself on the back for figuring this out like Rin would.

He then did some quick math. Before he only had two hundred seventy units of prana, which after leaving a third of that aside for reinforcement, left him one-hundred-eighty units of prana for tracing. If utilizing Unbroken Noble Phantasms, he could trace thirty-six copies of any weapon in his arsenal before he needed to stop to let his circuits recharge. If he Broke his projections, however, that meant he could only use twenty-five of them at a time before needing to stop.

Hence, why he used a bow for super long range sniping. It allowed him to utilize his Broken Phantasms from a safe distance, usually someplace high up, yet hidden from sight. Allowing him to pick targets that would inflict maximum damage upon the enemy, be it taking out their leader or some other valuable resource. He'd used this method only against foes he knew he would have little chance against in direct combat, like vampires, and other such horrors.

With his new reserves, however, he should be able to Trace one-hundred-seventy-three blades or one-hundred-twenty-three Broken Phantasms after keeping a third of it for reinforcement. Considering he was only five at the moment, Emiya doubted that his reserves would rise at all by the time he reached his prime. If they did, then he would have three times his current prana capacity; as commonly one's circuits slowly grew in power as their user did in age until they reached their prime. This is why so many magi tried to prolong their lives as it kept their magic circuits in excellent condition for longer than usual. Some, however, decided to become Dead Apostles in order to achieve this goal, something that was not tolerated by the Clocktower, and despised by the Counter Guardian himself.

He couldn't count the number of times he'd slain a magi who'd dared cross that forbidden line.

'_Not that I have much room to talk considering I possess the other taboo of the association.'_ He thought wryly.

Shaking himself out of such thoughts, he glanced at the clock again and noticed almost twenty minutes had passed. Deciding he had laid in bed long enough, he got up and doing his morning routine, headed towards the kitchen in order to make breakfast. When he got to the kitchen, he found a note on the fridge addressed to him. Luckily he'd 'taught' himself how to read early allowing his parents to leave him notes whenever something 'came up' which was often.

Taking it off the fridge he read:

"_Dear Godou-kun,_

_As much as I didn't want to, I had to head back into work today. I had to give a big presentation that, without me, would've lost the company a significant client. Your father is pulling an all-nighter, so I called your grandparents to come look after you and Shizuka-chan till I get back. They should be here by the time you get up in the morning._

_Love, your mother_

_P.S. Be nice to your Grandparents, please!"_

Emiya shook his head. eNot out of the fact that his mother somehow drew a very convincing chibi version of herself giving a peace sign at the bottom of the note. No, but at the fact that after just three days after giving birth, she would go back into work. Leaving her infant daughter alone. He was not angry, that wasn't quite what he was feeling…

'_Disappointed.'_ He realized_-'Yes, I'm very disappointed in both you and the Old Man, Kaa-san.'_ Emiya thought as he continued to shake his head.

But then he noticed, his grandparents weren't here like the note said they should be, and he had slept in due to exhaustion.

'_So what could've happened?'_ he wondered as he stroked his nonexistent beard.

Deciding not to dwell on things he couldn't change for once, Emiya proceeded to make himself a western breakfast consisting of a sausage omelet, toast, and tea. He made extra just in case Ichirou-Jiji and Chiyo-obāsan showed up while he was eating. As fate would have it, just as he was about to sit down to eat, he heard the front door open.

Moments later, the matriarch and patriarch of the Kusanagi family made their way into the kitchen. Ichirou was carrying a familiar wooden box under one arm, and Chiyo looked slightly miffed but she brightened upon seeing him.

"Hello Godou-kun how are you dear?" she asked kindly.

"I'm good obāsan, how are you and Jiji today?" he asked.

Chuckling at his casual address of them Chiyo ruffled his hair and replied "We're fine Godou-kun, did you enjoy meeting Shizuka-chan?"

Nodding he replied "She was a bit loud at first, but she settled down once I held her. There's some breakfast on the stove if you're hungry." He had said before he dug into his own meal.

His grandparents soon joined him, complimenting him on his cooking prowess as they too dug into their food. After he had finished eating, he excused himself, citing the need to go check on Shizuka. Upon entering his little sister's room, he found her just waking up. Walking up to her crib he said, "Guess who's here to see you Shizuka? Obāsan and Jiji are here to see you!" he said in a babyish tone, causing the newborn to giggle.

Climbing the side of the crib like last time and retrieving his little sister he picked her up and said "Let's go say hello shall we?"

Shizuka giggled in response, causing Emiya to take that as a 'yes' in baby. He carried her into the kitchen where Chiyo and Ichirou were almost finished eating. When they saw their grandson come in carrying his little sister smiling and making funny faces, Ichirou dropped his chopsticks full of food he had brought halfway up to his mouth. Chiyo ended up sputtering on a mouthful of tea, almost doing a spit-take as she took in the never before seen sight.

For his part, the former Servant of the Bow just gave the two a level look and raising an eyebrow he asked "Are you two ok?"

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Ichirou replied "Hph, we're fine Godou-kun."

"Yes, and happy to see you and Shizuka-chan getting along so well. I admit I wasn't sure if you two would get along or not." Chiyo said as she took another bite of food.

"Eh, she's not so bad, are you Shizuka-chan, no you're not." He said in the baby talk, causing the newborn to giggle.

Chiyo smiled at the exchange between brother and sister before nudging her husband and saying "Ichi-kun why don't you and Godou-kun go out and have some fun while I take care of Shizuka-chan?"

Raising both of his eyebrows, Emiya asked, "Are you sure obāsan? That doesn't seem to fair to you." He pointed out.

"And your parents leaving you here alone with a newborn and expecting you to cook for yourself doesn't seem fair to you." She pointed out rather harshly of her daughter and son-in-law. She then sighed and reasoned with the boy, saying "Your only a child for so long Godou-kun, please don't be in such a hurry to grow up and enjoy it while you can."

The former Servant of the Bow sighed internally, _'It seems I've already got people fretting over me.'_ He had thought before he said, "Well, if you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure, now go out and have fun with your grandfather…but not too much fun you hear me Ichirou?" she finished warningly.

Chuckling awkwardly the Kusanagi patriarch said to his wife "Of course not dear, I wasn't planning anything of that nature until he was fifteen at least." He joked.

Seeing his wife's disapproving frown, he said hastily "Give Shizuka-chan to your grandmother and let's head out Godou-kun."

Shizuka fussed and whined as she was handed off to her grandmother but was quickly shushed by the older woman who rocked her in such a way that her missing brother was quickly forgotten as she giggled and laughed. She never even noticed the front door opening and closing.

As the two made their way towards a silver Toyota Prius Ichirou asked "Is there anything you would like to do Godou-kun, anyplace you would like to go?"

He thought about it silently for a moment, he was five he had nothing but time to train and become a hero, still the sooner he got started, the better. But, since he wouldn't be able to save anyone for several years yet, it might be good for him to pick up a hobby as well. These thoughts in mind, he turned to his grandfather and said "I've got a couple of things in mind Jiji."

* * *

As the two drove down the road, Ichirou couldn't help but ask "Why exactly do you want a book on human anatomy Godou-kun? It seems, odd for a five-year-old honestly. Most kids your age would want manga or those comic books about that superhero in America."

Giving his grandfather an old look he said, "There's an honest to goodness superhero in America?"

"Oh yes-" Ichirou said with a nod "Goes by John Pluto Smith I believe. From what I've gathered by watching the international news, Smith fights all manner of evil organizations' in the states while wearing some iron masked get up with a cape and everything. Apparently, he does a good job but also causes a lot of property damage."

Emiya nodded, knowing that property damage and loss of life was sadly a part being a hero. He glanced up when the minivan suddenly came to a stop. He found they were in front of a larger than average bookstore called Eight Branches Books. He also noted that though his grandfather was getting out, that the shop clearly wasn't open for business. Getting out of the car himself he said as much to the older man.

Ichirou just smirked. While flipping through the keys on his key ring, he replied "Don't worry Godou-kun, I'm sure your Chiyo-chan won't mind if we pop into the store for a little bit."

Blinking in surprise Emiya said, "Wait, Grandma owns this place?"

As he unlocked the door, Ichirou replied "Yes indeed. When I was younger, I was an archeologist major in college you see. This led to my fascination with mythology and it was how I met your grandmother, as she was studying pantheon societies. Eventually we both became involved with both ones another and love for the mythology of all cultures' and how they borrowed from one another. In the end, we graduated with two degrees each. One in comparative mythology for the both of us, and the aforementioned majors."

Emiya whistled appreciatively "Wow Jiji that's…impressive. But are you sure the books I want is going to be here?"

"Never fear Godou-kun, your grandmother was interested in a wide variety of topics, so much so that she supplies' the local Tokyo University students with various book materials," Ichirou informed him.

And so, Emiya began his search. Thirty minutes later; he came to the counter with not only a book on human anatomy, but books on both Elder Furthark and I-ching Runes, as well as books on Bajiquan and various types of weapon usage. Upon seeing the titles, Ichirou gave his grandson an odd look, and Emiya suddenly felt as if he were being x-rayed down to his very core. As if the old man before him could see the old soul that inhabited the young body.

"Are you some kind of warrior mage Godou-kun?"

"I prefer battle-mage if it's all the same to you, Jiji." Emiya responded casually.

Ichirou nodded as if in understanding before heading over to a stack and saying "Judging by the titles of some of those books, I would call you more of a Warrior-Poet, one who trains both body and mind. That being the case, you might want to read these too."

He then placed _**"The Art of War" **_by Sun Tzu on top of the stack along with _**"The Book of Five Rings"**_ by Miyamoto Musashi. The boy was surprised he had overlooked those two books in particular. From what he recalled, Sun Tzu was a brilliant military strategist and Musashi was an expert swordsman even at a young age. Smiling at the older man in thanks, he asked, "How much do I owe you?"

Scoffing Ichirou replied "Don't be ridiculous Godou-kun, we're family. Now let's get your books to the car young knight, you have somewhere else you wish to go if I remember correctly?"

Emiya nodded, feeling embarrassed that he was doing all this for him. He was used to being self-sufficient. He had been on his own since he was twelve in his past life, having only Taiga, Sakura, and Raiga as a makeshift family of sorts. Even though, Raiga took care of his bills and finances he still went out and got a job, not wanting to feel like a freeloader.

They ended up driving downtown towards the batting cages. In-between hitting baseballs being shot towards them by pitching machines, the two Kusangani's continued to talk.

"So,-ping-"You start school in a few months are you excited?" Ichirou asked as he hit a ball out of the park.

*Ping!* "Yeah, I suppose so. I'm not really much of a people person in case you haven't noticed though so I'm not sure how well I'll get along with everyone."

Ichirou nodded "Heh, you take your time warming up to people that's true- *Ping*-"But I think once people get to know you they'll find a steadfast friend."

Emiya silently considered the older mans' words as he mechanically hit two more balls being delivered from the hopper. Finally, he said, "Yeah, I suppose your right." *Ping*

* * *

After an hour or so of hitting balls in a batting cage, the two retired to the park which, unlike the one back in Fuyuki wasn't cursed with All the Evils of the World. The grass grew vibrant and green, trees were healthy, and children ran and played while their parents set up picnics.

It was idyllic really. That was the thought in Emiya's mind as he followed his grandfather to a grouping of wooden chairs placed around stone tables. Several were occupied already showing the tables were meant to hold chess sets as several old men were in heated games from what he could see. Taking up an unoccupied one, the two began what would be a longstanding tradition for the two of them. As they started playing, Emiya decided to look through the book he'd acquired on Elder Furthark Runes. He'd learned a bit about runes in the past. After learning he possessed a Reality Marble and asking Rin for advice on how to make bounded fields last longer once he realized he was in possession of one. However his knowledge was far from complete, as he only intended to use them to extend the duration of his Reality Marble after deployment.

Now that he had plenty of time to train and learn, he intended to do just that, training both his body, mind, and magic circuits. And so, as he decimated his grandfather in chess time and time again, this time winning just as much as he lost as he was only half paying attention. He thought about how his constant strive forward towards his dream made his surrogate family abandon him and how, he only realized how loved he was and how good he had it after the fact. With these thoughts in mind, he made a solemn vow:

'_I will become a real hero. I may not be able to save everyone; but if I can protect those closest to me, and those under me should I be put in a position of authority, plus those I see in front of me, that's enough.'_

* * *

**Nearly nine months later…**

He had awoken seconds before his alarm went off, gently hitting the buzzer before it could actually go off. Throwing off his sheets he threw on a pair of red sweatpants with black stripes down the side and an identical looking sweater before he threw on some socks and, after double checking to make sure Shizuka was still asleep in her crib, made his way to the kitchen. For a brief, fleeting moment, he hoped he would find his parents in the kitchen. He envisioned his mother would be trying her hardest to make him breakfast while his father smiled behind reading the paper and drinking his morning tea. He smiled wistfully at the thought.

Upon entering the kitchen, cold reality reasserted itself. The kitchen was completely empty, save for a note on the fridge. No mother who didn't know how to cook was trying to surprise him with a terrible but heartwarming breakfast. No father was sitting at the table reading the paper and drinking tea while bemusingly watching his wife fail at making breakfast…neither of his parents were here to see him off on his first day of school.

Mentally crushing the twinge of disappointment he felt, he thought to himself _'Why should I even care? I mean technically I'm thirty-five. This is kindergarten. Finger painting, juice boxes, and snack time nothing remarkable.'_

Yet a small voice in the back of his mind argued _'What's the point of having parents you can remember if there never around?'_

Banishing it with a shake of his head, he ripped the note off the fridge and read:

_Dear Godou-kun,_

_Sorry, we couldn't be there for your big day, but work called. You shouldn't have too hard a time getting to school its just down the street a ways. We called your grandparents to come and look after Shizuka-chan in your absence. Be careful on the way there and play nice with the other children._

_Love, your parents._

He crushed the note in hand after reading it. He honestly couldn't believe his parents would leave both himself and his infant sister here like this, knowing he was going to school today and they just, just abandon them for their jobs!

He stopped this line of thought when he felt his fingers digging into the palm of his hand. Taking a deep calming breath, he went to the fridge and pulled out a premade breakfast he'd made the other night. After heating it up in the microwave; he took it, along with a pair of plastic chopsticks down the hallway. Making his way to the open-air patio in the backyard where he kept an umbrella stand full of kendo gear. It was full of many types of wooden practice weapons. Everything from bokken to shinai, to yari and wakizashi, were present, as well as wooden versions of European weapons. Next to it was a small stand with glass doors in which sat numerous books on everything from combat tactics to philosophy to obscure magical subjects.

As he ate his breakfast, he recalled how Ichirou slowly acquired these things for him over the past nine months. First it was just the books, then a kendo weapon here and there, he saw him exercising one day and went out and bought him weights to help him get better faster. He never asked the old man to buy him any of this, he just did it. He even bought him the umbrella stand and shelf to keep his things in. Although he didn't tell him, Emiya kept track of the price of everything Ichirou bought him. He intended to pay the old man back as soon as he was able.

Till then, however, he would make use of Ichirou's kindness. He had read through all of the books and found the Book of Five Rings by Musashi to be most insightful. As it turns out, the Kensei believed that a warrior shouldn't favor any one particular weapon. Instead, they should become proficient in the use of all weapons equally so that one can never be at a disadvantage in a fight no matter what weapon they happen to be using. Niten Ichi-ryu or Two Heavens as One, also taught dual sword use for both katana and wakizashi. Sadly he had no actual instructor in the style and just what he could find on the internet and in a couple of books, which may or may not be reliable.

Still it was enough for now. Before he began his daily exercise routine of pushups, crunches, squats, and running circles around the house, he proceeded to attempt to reproduce an individual experiment. Picking up a nearby stopwatch he had put his thumb on the start button before he said one of the few aria's that he knew.

"Trace on." With those words, the hammer fell in his mind as did his thumb, and he began tracing two simultaneous Noble Phantasms.

He began by judging the concept of their creation. One was meant to kill people, the other was meant to kill mysteries.

Next, he hypnotized their basic structure. One was a meter long leaf-headed spear, the other, an absurdly shaped dagger, more suited for rituals than combat, as its edge was blunt, its blade brittle.

Then, he duplicated the composition material. One was made out of the bone of some long-dead sea monster while the other was forged from enchanted bronze.

When he reached step four, imitating the skill of their making, he stopped the process briefly and thought _'Begin alteration. Replace spearhead with a dagger. Begin fusion. Binding and strengthening matrixes at the point of fusion…Right, that worked, as usual. Now comes the hard part.'_ He thought.

He sympathized the experience of the growth of both weapons. This step was necessary as it granted them their legends and through them their mysteries. The problem was they were no longer two separate arms but one single fused new weapon. This was what he'd been trying to do for the past six months fuse two Noble Phantasms together using Alteration, giving the new weapon the traits and powers of both its parent weapons.

He could fuse the weapons together easily enough. The hard part came when he tried to duplicate their legends, granting them their powers. Due to being two separate weapons fused into one, the legends of the weapons blended and thus, their powers became nonexistent. But he thought he found a solution this time. Now to test it.

'_Add buffer.'_ He thought.

The 'buffer' was like a magical wall built into the new blade meant to keep the legends of the weapons separate allowing them to keep their myths and thus their powers associated with them. He got the idea from a different timeline. One where he was summoned to a Holy Grail War and he had his left arm grafted onto his younger self. Rin tried to give him some of her Circuits to act as an 'off switch' of sorts.

Much to his surprise, the buffer held, even though both blades pushed against the wall all that ended up doing was strengthening it, as it was being pushed from both sides. Smiling at a job well done, and thankful he got past such an annoying hurdle Emiya continued with his tracing.

The next two steps went hand in hand. They were that of sympathizing with the experience of its growth and reproducing the accumulated years of the weapon. These steps copied the knowledge of the users of the weapon allowing him to call upon it, effectively use the numerous blades in his armory as if he were their original owner, it also added power to the legends due to age.

The final step of accelerating every manufacturing process ensured the copy of the weapon was only a rank below the original.

'_Trace set, fire!'_ he thought before opening his eyes and clicking a stopwatch stopping the timer just as his six-month long experiment came to fruition.

It was a meter long spear, primarily red with rose-like vines along its shaft, its head, however, marked it different from its parent Gáe Bolg. For instead of a leaf-shaped head it possessed a jagged curved brittle looking thing, speckled and stained in blood. It was Rule Breaker, Dagger of Medea of Colchis, Witch of Betrayal.

Emiya stared at his creation in amazement. _'I actually did it, I successfully combined two Noble Phantasms, crystalized weapons of heroes' legends together.'_ He thought in wonder.

His excitement didn't last long however as he began running tests on it to see if it worked like he thought it would. He searched the Blade Works for a target, finding one he projected it. It was Colada one of the two swords of El Cid. Colada produced a constant fear effect upon the enemies of the wielder. A perfect test subject.

Taking the…the…_'This needs a name.'_ Emiya realized "Fusion Phantasm? Yes, I like that."

Taking the Fusion Phantasm he poked the sword of El Cid. There was a flash of light pink light and he set the phantasm aside to pick up and structurally analyze Colada. With a quick glance, he could tell the fear effect of Colada had been negated.

"Ok, that worked. Now let's go to step two."

Tracing another Colada he stabbed it into the earth and then took several steps back before pushing his prana into the weapon and calling out the name of the shaft of the weapon "Gáe Bolg!"

A crimson red and dark purple aura of prana had flared around the weapon before it shot forward in a bolt of red and purple tipped light. It struck the Noble Phantasm dead on before shattering it into millions of motes of light.

"That…worked better than advertised." He said to himself.

That shouldn't have been possible. For all their power, Gáe Bolg and Rule Breaker shouldn't be able to utterly shatter another Noble Phantasm. This required more tests and theorizing but he didn't have time for that at the moment, for he needed to complete his morning routine then bathe, eat, feed Shizuka, and then begin the eight block jog to the school.

So he began his usual morning routine of ten reps of pushups, sit-ups, squats, and jumping jacks, finishing by running around the yard twelve times. He had just finished his workout when he saw Jiji's silver Toyota Prius pull into the driveway. He gave them a two finger salute when he saw them and they honked their horn in response. Once they parked, Ichirou got out with a smile and a wave, and noted Chiyo had a sour look on her face before she slapped a smile on her face, most likely to keep him from worrying.

He knew why she was upset though, her daughter had once again abandoned her children during an important point during one of their lives, specifically his. Jogging up to them he said apologetically "Sorry you had to come here at the last minute once again you two."

Shaking her head, Chiyo replied "Don't be dear, we're always more than happy to be here for you and Shizuka-chan, you know that. Your parents will look back and feel sorry that they missed this and other things in your life I assure you."

"That's right so why don't you go freshen up while your grandma and I go and make you breakfast?" Ichirou said while clapping his grandson on the arm.

Frowning he replied "You don't need to do that, I can-"He was cut off by his grandmother who said sternly "Young man, you go take a bath and get into your school uniform. Leave breakfast and Shizuka to us, you hear?"

Doing his best not to smirk he replied "Yes ma'am."

He smiled as he turned around and headed into the house. He was happy he could at least depend on his grandparents if not his actual ones. After he had finished bathing, he slipped into his school uniform, a white t-shirt, a black military-eques overcoat, and black jeans.

Heading into the kitchen he found a breakfast of rice, miso soup, eggs, toast and green tea waiting for him. The moment he entered the kitchen, Chiyo began fussing over him.

"Oh look at you, you look all grown up! It seems like just the other day your mother brought you home from the hospital and now, here you are going to school for the first time!" She sniffed.

"Umm, I'm sure you want to take all manner of pictures Grandma, but I really do need to eat." Emiya reminded her.

Chuckling ruefully, Chiyo replied "Yes of course dear. You go right along and eat breakfast while I check on your sister."

He did just that, methodically eating his way through his breakfast. By the time he was done, his grandma had brought a giggling Shizuka out of her room.

Smiling at the sight of his little sister, he said, to her "Good Morning Shizuka-chan."

Upon hearing his voice, Shizuka twisted in Chiyo's grip until she could see her big brother. The moment she laid eyes on him she stretched an arm toward him, wanting to be held by him. Seeing her whine piteously he said sadly "Sorry Shizuka-chan, but I can't hold you, I've got to get going."

What happened next almost casued Chiyo to drop the infant girl in surprise.

"Onii-chan."

Emiya blinked in surprise before saying in a surprised tone "Shizuka, did you just..?"

"Onii-chan." The nine-month-old said again while reaching out for him.

Smiling so bright he could light up the room, Emiya reached over and picked up his baby-sister saying "Shizuka! That was your first word!"

Onii-chan, Onii-chan!" She said again as if agreeing with him.

"Ichirou, get in here!" Chiyo called to her husband.

The patriarch of the family came rushing in hair askew and partially wet as he frantically looked around and asked "What's wrong Chiyo, where's the fire?"

"No fire look." She said pointing to Godou who was holding a giggling Shizuka.

"Say it." He prompted her "Say it again."

"Onii-chan, Onii-chan, Onii-chan!" Shizuka yelled happy her brother was holding her and smiling.

Upon hearing his granddaughter speak, Ichrou smiled and said "Shizuka's talking, that's great! How did this happen?"

"She really, really wanted me to hold her." Emiya replied before looking at the nine-month-old and saying seriously "And now I've done that Shizuka. I'm extremely proud of you and so will mom and dad when they come home. But now I really need to get going ok?"

"Onii-chan~!" She whined piteously.

Ruffling her tuft of black hair good-naturedly he said sadly "Sorry kiddo, but I gotta go."

He then gave Ichirou a pointed look, raising an eyebrow, and doing his best not to smirk as he asked "Provided you're ready to take me Jiji?"

"Huh?" Ichirou then remembered his hair was wet and nodded sheepishly before saying "Give me five minutes Godou-kun."

* * *

The two Kusanagi males arrived at Jounan Academy with plenty of time to sign him in and find his classroom. B-1 was the class where he would be spending the foreseeable future. A piece of paper taped outside said _"Come right in!"_

Doing so, they walked into a brightly colored room with many shapes and numerous animals on the walls along with the alphabet in kanji. In lieu of desks there were small child-sized rugs spaced throughout the area. Doing a quick headcount, Emiya noted there were nineteen other children here in class with him. Ten girls and nine boys. On the far left side of the room was a desk, behind which sat a young Spanish woman with narrow Japanese features in her early twenties, with shoulder length dark brown hair, and warm almond shaped brown eyes.

Upon standing up to come greet them, he noted she wore a white and pinks striped Yukata held shut with a pink obi. Upon making her way towards them she smiled and bowed before speaking in flawless Japanese "Hello there I'm Evans Alyssa and I'm the teacher for class B-1. Who might you be?" she asked kindly looking towards him.

Bowing in return, he replied "Kusanagi Godou, nice to meet you."

"My, my, what a polite little gentleman you are! I'd better be careful around you or my husband will be looking for another wife." She joked.

She then said "Why don't you go and introduce yourself to the other children, Kusanagi-kun?"

Nodding he walked into the fray, he looked back briefly to see his grandfather and Evans-sensei talking amicably.

When he turned back around he found a sight that made him frown. Two boys who were bigger than the rest of the students in the class sans himself were pulling on the hair of a girl with long chestnut brown hair. She was extremely soft-spoken her voice barely raising above a whisper even as she begged them to stop.

"P-Pl-Please, Please stop!" she begged.

One nudged the other and said "Hey Toyama, I think she's gonna cry. Are you gonna cry you big baby?"

"Oi, let her go."

The two turned around at the sound of Emiya calling them out, still hold onto the girls' hair as they did.

One of the boy's the one called Toyama let go of the girls' hair and took a step forward, thinking to intimidate him. With a cocky smirk on his face he asked "Oh, you gonna make us?"

Up until now, Emiya had been slouching slightly so as to appear non-threatening. Upon straightening he stood half a head taller than both the other boy's making him the tallest kid in class. Staring down at the other boy he said again "Let. Her. Go."

Emiya accentuated every word by poking the other boy in the chest making him stumble back with each poke until he was standing next to his friend allowing him to look down on them both. The two boys upon being looked down upon like theey were insects or worse, they lost their nerve and let their captive go. Muttering apologies as they slinked to their seats. Emiya glared at them as he watched them go, both to be sure they wouldn't try to jump him from behind, and to let them know he was keeping an eye on them.

When he turned back to ask the girl is she was alright, he was surrounded by his other classmates. Apparently, by showing up those two, he was cool now. Three boy's forced their way forward from the crowd the one him the middle had slightly messy black hair and charismatic brown eyes.

The boy on his left had a wild animalistic look with gangly black hair, a tooth that stuck out to the top of his mouth like a fang, and sharp pointed eyes.

The last boy had a very soft effeminate face for a boy, he seemed kindly and proper to the former Counter Guardian. The boy in the middle then spoke, "That was cool the way you handled that man. We tried to do something, but they were bigger than us. I'm Kenji Miura, and this is Tarou Nakayama and that's Hanatarou Rui." He said point to the boy on his left and right respectively.

He nodded to them politely before introducing himself "Kusanagi Godou, nice to meet you. Wee'll talk later, alright Miura? Right now I need to check on that girl."

Smirking Miura replied "Sure man, clear a hole for the conquering hero people!" he yelled.

Though Miura didn't see it, Emiya frowned at being called a hero. Though he didn't frown for the reason he usually would. While he didn't hate the idea of hero's anymore, he didn't think he had earned the title of hero yet. But, he figured the boy spoke in jest, so he didn't let it show on his face for long, and while his methods were…crude to say the least, they were certainly effective. As Emiya soon found himself in front of the girl he had saved from bullies.

She seemed very shy as she was unable to look him in the eye, and not just because was a whole head and shoulders above her. She kept her gaze glued to the floor as she stuttered out "T-Thank you for h-helping me. Y-You don't have t-to do that."

"I know I didn't have to do anything." He said causing her to flinch both at his casual tone and at the fact he lifted her head till she was looking him in the face as he smiled and finished "But I don't need a reason to help anyone, including you, ok?"

Thise caused the girl to smile at him in return and say "O-Ok, thanks for helping me."

Nodding he bowed theatrically and said "Kusanagi Godou is the name of your knight milady. Might I know the name of you, oh fair maiden?"

He saw the girl turn away, likely to hide a blush before she said "Mariya Yuri is this maiden's name f-fair knight."

Chuckling in the back of his throat, he said "Milady, would have me finish off these…ruffians?" he said while giving the two from earlier a look that caused them to shiver.

Smiling a bit Mariya replied "No Sir Knight, I believe they have suffered enough."

Giving yet another theatrical bow, Emiya finished "As Milady Mariya wishes."

There was silence for a moment until all the kids including Mariya broke out into giggles. Even Emiya managed a smirk. _'I always did have a slight flare for the dramatic, probably picked it up from Saber.'_ He thought to himself.

"That was great! You two should take that act on the road!" Miura called from the back of the crowd.

"Maybe we will! Right Mariya?" he asked her jokingly.

"I-ah-"Before Yuri could properly formulate a response, the sound of two loud claps. The crowd turned as one to find Mrs. Evans holding her hands together staring at them happily. "Alright everyone! Let's get to our seats, it's time to start class!"

* * *

It was the end of her first day as a Japanese Elementary level teacher, and Alyssa Evans was shocked. Not by the students she was used to that having been an elementary school teacher in America for two years before moving to japan with her husband of three years, Cole. What shocked her was one student in particular.

Kusanagi Godou. During the first lesson, she was taught the students the alphabet and then went around the room showing them how to write their own names. Some needed help correcting kanji and such but when she got to Godou, he'd written his name, his whole name but he had also written the names of his new friend's Mariya Yuri, Kenji Miura, Tarou Nakayama and Hanatarou Rui, and he was showing them how he wrote their names in kanji.

That was her first surprise. The next one came during art time when she allowed all the children to finger paint. She expected crude drawings of flowers, cats, cars, and trees. Nothing truly astounding.

Again Kusanagi-kun proved her wrong; for when she came around to his easel, she found a picture of a tall man with bronze skin, slicked back white hair, and silver eyes, clad in a red cloak and black and silver trimmed armor stood. Staring bitterly out into a desolate, smog covered field, swords of all shapes and sizes impaled in the earth like gravestones as giant cogs spin in the sky. Some of the swords were more distant and thus closer to the figure, while others were further from him and closer to the viewer of the painting.

Then at nap time, he didn't lay down like the other children. No, he sat cross-legged on his mat and began to meditate. Honest to goodness meditate!

He ate lunch with his friends and during recess, participated in baseball when asked. But other than that, he kept to himself and only answered questions when asked.

The more Alyssa thought about it, the more she realized. For a child the age of six to not only be able to write in perfect kanji, but to be able to paint like he did, answering any question asked of him as if he was bored, meditating, and only playing with the other children when his friends ask him…

"He's a child prodigy, a genius." She said to herself.

She then reached over and picked up her phone, she had some calls to make. If she was right, Kusanagi-kun, was an incredibly gifted child. If that was the case, certain people needed to be informed so steps could be taken. If he was one such child, he could certain do much better than a public school after all.

* * *

**Chapter Length: 15,100 words – Date Completed: 4/23/15**

* * *

**AN: Hello Guys and Gals and welcome to the opening chap of The Youngest Campione, my new FSN x Campione fic and the rewrite of my old fic, Wrought Iron Cross. I chose to rewrite the fic for several reasons: It had gotten too out of hand, the plot was…it needed work, some ideas looking back seem weird now in hindsight, the list goes on really. But now, to cover a few things:**

**Emiya's Circuits: While he still has only 27 circuits since he activated them so early he has access to his full reserves instead of the atrophied circuits Shirou started out with during the 5****th**** Heaven's Feel. And seeing as EMIYA the Heroic Spirit gets no bonuses from neither fame nor legend, it's safe to say that the stats he has as a Servant are the stats he ended up attaining in life. So he as access to 1300 units of prana (Od specifically I think.) That's 48 units of prana per circuit which is pretty damn good for a six-year-old.**

**Fusion Phantasms: Emiya's new toy in this fic. An incredibly powerful, versatile, but costly skill. Even with his current reserves, he can only use the weapon show in this chap sixteen times, as Rule Breaker costs prana to activate as far as I know, considering its name needs to be called, then if you add Gáe Bolgs piercing effect on top of that, that's even more prana. Were he to use the thrown version of Gáe Bolg, he could only use it eight times then as it costs more prana to activate.**

**Story Pacing: I felt I went far too fast through the last story, so I'm slowing it way~ down! I'm gonna take it from the top, develop relationships and subtly change things from the get go. So it'll be two or three more chapters before Emiya becomes a Campione, but don't worry. I intend for him to be plenty busy in the meantime.**

**Lastly I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to my beta Diller for without him, this rewrite wouldn't have gotten off the ground! Be sure to show your appreciation to him when you review guys and gals! If you enjoyed the rewrite let us know via review would you please? And Feng, I look forward to hearing from you the most, as I feel I've greatly improved. Till next time everyone, Bubbajack and Diller, out! Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Youngest Campione**

**By: Bubbajack**

**Beta: Diller/William Wiltrose/Grammarly**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FSN or Campione.**

**Ch.2: Benefits of Friends…**

* * *

Emiya had been going to school for about four years now, and so far, nothing particularly interesting had happened aside from making a small group of friends. Every day he would show up in class with a lunch he cooked himself, which he shared with his friends around lunchtime. Of his four friends he was closest to Yuri, the girl he'd saved on the first day. She was a quiet, serene girl that was always able to break the others up when their loud mouths or rough housing started to get on his nerves.

Yet when he awoke today, it was with a feeling of intense foreboding. Glancing at his clock he noted he shouldn't even have to be up for another hour. Yet this feeling persisted.

_'__What could it be?'_ he wondered.

Then he heard it. The sound of voices muffled by distance. Stealthily getting out of bed, he cocked the gun in his mind, preparing to trace Kanshou and Bakuya in case they were being robbed. Yet as he drew closer, he could identify the voices. It was his parents, and they were fighting…about him?

"Tell the truth Mayo, you had an affair with someone didn't you?" he heard his father ask.

A slap was heard moments later and his mother replied with venom in her tone "How dare you! How dare you try to deny your son and imply I slept around Genzou?!"

Sneaking up to the door he peeked around it just in time to see Genzou throw his arms up in exasperation and say "Well what am I supposed to think Mayo? I mean, he's so…so distant, so reserved. He doesn't even call me dad! It's just 'Old Man' this and 'Old Man' that."

"So because your son is a bit distant and disrespectful you want a divorce?" Mayo asked imperiously crossing her arms as raising a pencil-thin eyebrow.

Sighing, Genzou gave his wife a deadpan look, saying flatly, "That's not all and you know it. The spark is gone Mayo, don't try to deny it. When we married we were young and ambitious we fed off each other's enthusiasm to be the best at what we did. That led to friendship and lust which in turn resulted in Godou and us getting married."

Emiya noticed his mother frowning. But it wasn't an enraged sort of glare, but the kind that came from someone hearing an unsavory truth. _'So they married out of duty not because they actually loved each other like that…how pathetic. If it weren't for me and Shizuka, they probably wouldn't even be together.' _Emiya thought.

Having heard enough, he made his presence known. Clapping as he came around the corner and saying snippily "Congratulations you two, I didn't think my opinion of you could sink any lower, but you managed it. Good job."

Seeing her son's cold demeanor and sardonic smile, Mayo knew he'd heard everything. She may not have been the greatest mother, but even she knew divorce didn't do anything good for young children. Not wanting him to think this was his fault, she said soothingly."

Seeing her son's cold demeanor and sardonic smile, Mayo knew he'd heard everything. She may not have been the greatest mother, but even she knew divorce didn't do anything good for young children. "Even if your father and I get divorced Godou-kun, I want you to know that this is not your fault. It won't change anything. We still love you."

This caused Emiya to throw his head back and laugh for a moment before saying "Of course nothing will change if you two get divorced. Shizuka and I barely see either of you as it is. So if you got divorced that wouldn't chance the status quo much now would it?"

Both the adults in the room winced as their son continued with his tirade, "You know what though, I'm kinda glad you're splitting up. Seeing as it means, I'll probably never have to see one of you at least. Maybe if Shizuka and I get really lucky, Jiji and Obāsan can get custody and Shizuka can have a healthy childhood."

"You ungrateful little-"Genzou began only to be cut to the quick by a sharp, dangerous glare from his son as he was struck speechless as Godou said "Shut up. Neither of you has **_any right_**, any at all to call anyone else ungrateful. You depend on me to keep this place clean and from both yourselves and Shizuka from starving to death. Not only that, but you always flake and expect Jiji and Obāsan to do things you two should be doing! Like being there for Shizuka when she spoke her first word. Even though I'm used to neither of you being around that doesn't mean you can just dump us on our grandparents because you don't want to deal with us!"

Shaking her head, Mayo replied "No, honey no, that's not it at all. You've got it all wrong."

"Oh really, because it seems like you love your jobs more than your family. And I can all but guarantee that because of that, you don't know the first thing about me." He retorted giving her a pointed look.

Mayo felt her guts burn and wreath in shame as she said weakly "That's not true."

"Is that so?" Godou asked in a tone that belied blatant disbelief. Deciding to humor her he said, "Then tell me, mom, what's my favorite type of music, favorite food, drink, hobby, color, or the names of my friends?"

"You have friends?" Genzou said in disbelief, causing his son to glare at him even as his wife punched him on the arm. Mayo then turned to her son and opened her mouth to answer…only to realize she didn't have a response. Not to a single question. They were such simple questions too. Questions every mother should know about their child…but she couldn't answer a single one.

Revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. _'I don't know the first thing about my ten-year-old son. I really __**am **__a horrible mother._

Choking back the bile in her throat she replied "I-I don't know."

Mayo watched as her son closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment before saying coolly "I told you, you don't know the first thing about me. But, for the record **_mom_**; my favorite music is both Rock and Roll and Japanese Jazz. I have no particular likes or dislikes when it comes to food as long as it's well-made. I like drinking all kinds of tea. My hobbies include reading, playing chess, baseball, cooking, and practicing martial arts. My favorite colors are red, black and silver. And lastly, the names of my friends are Mariya Yuri, who is my best friend, and my other friends are Miura Kenji, Nakayama Tarou, and Rui Hanatarou."

Mayo let out a strangled squeak, she'd just learned more about her son in a few seconds than she'd known about him in his past ten going on eleven years of life. Several seconds after this she broke down crying. This enraged her husband who stalked forward threateningly saying "Now look what you've done, you've made your mother cry you good for nothing brat!"

Emiya scoffed not the least bit intimidated by his father's approach as he said; "Pff, you have no room to talk. You just accused her of sleeping around and basically told her you only married her because you got her pregnant. You're as much to blame here as me. Also-"

He didn't get to finish as his father lunged at him intent on disciplining him. In response, Emiya calmly stepped aside kicking his dad's leg out from under him, sending him toppling to the ground before delivering a swift hard kick to his solar plexus.

As his father gasped for air, he stared at him dispassionately and said "I was going to say, I know how to fight so don't bother attacking me. And you're too loud. Keep this up and you'll wake up Shizuka."

He then glanced at his mother who stared at him stunned as tears continued to stream from her eyes and said "I meant everything I said. Both of you have taken everything for granted. Your looks, which I have no doubt you both use to manipulate and undermine others to get what you want from your jobs. Your parents, who have as good as raised me and Shizuka in your stead as neither of you could is bothered to do so. Then there's' me, who you should have been protecting, encouraging, and guiding. Instead, I am treated as little more than an afterthought, one that acts as a live-in caretaker for the two of you-"

His voice was glacial and his eyes just as cold as he finished "I hope you get everything you deserve."

Mayo then watched as her son walked out of the kitchen, his back rigid, shoulders squared, his gait almost mechanical, not once did he look back. He stopped only briefly at the entrance to the kitchen to say "I personally could care less whether or not you two stay together…but part of me hopes you stay together. If only for Shizuka's sake."

Without another word, he left. After he had gone, Mayo looked down at her husband, who in turn looked up at her from his place on the floor. They stared at each other for a time each reflecting the sadness and pain in the others face. Finally, Mayo spoke in a broken monotone "We…we really messed up didn't we?"

Sitting up and wincing in pain as he did, Genzou replied "That, is an understatement dear."

Giving a mirthless laugh, Mayo replied "Dear? I thought you wanted a divorce?"

Standing up with another wince, Genzou answered his wife. "Well, I guess that was before my ten -year-old son threw everything I've done wrong as a parent for the past ten years in my face before he knocked me to the floor."

Mayo looked down in shame asking more herself than her estranged husband "How do we fix this? Can we even fix this?"

Taking a deep breath, Genzou put a hand on his wife's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. This caused her to look up at him with tears in her eyes. Staring at her, he said gravely, "Before we go about fixing all the wrongs we've committed against our son, I think we need to fix ourselves first."

"Agreed, but how do we start?" Mayo asked.

"Marriage consoling?" Genzou offered with a shrug.

Mayo thought it over for a moment tapping her chin while staring into space like an empress deciding the fate of a nation on a whim. This was one of the reasons Genzou became attracted to her in the first place. She was always so calm, so confident. Finally, she nodded and said "Alright, but what about Godou? He practically resents us. How do we go about changing his mind? Do we shower him with attention or-"

Mayo stopped talking when she saw her husband shake his head no. After a moment, he said, "That wouldn't work. Kid's sharp as the edge of a katana. If we started taking an interest in him or smothering him with affection, he'd know something was up. We just need to take it slow with him. Be there for Shizuka more for starters."

"Yeah, I'm sure we've both saved up plenty of vacation time, maybe we should take some time off and really get to know the kids…We can fix this right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, of course, we can."

Mayo wasn't so sure, but she didn't voice it. Instead, she just smiled nodded, hoping her estranged husband was right.

* * *

Yuri knew something was wrong the moment she laid eyes on Godou that morning. He came into class giving off an air of danger, his shoulders hunched, his green eyes were sharp and angry. Something had clearly upset him. She shared a look with Kenji and the others. They too knew something was wrong with their friend.

"I think you s-should go talk to him Mariya-san," Rui said fear flecked in his tone.

Frowning she asked "Why me, why not Kenji-san?"

Scoffing and crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk, Kenji replied "Because Yuri, you're his closest friend. That's obvious to everyone but you and possibly him."

Yuri had to admit he had a point. Whenever the others were too rowdy, she could feel Kusanagi-san become agitated. Not wanting him to snap and say something he might regret, she would say a few words that would calm the others. He in turn would smile at her appreciatively and, on the first day when he forgot to pack a lunch, all three of them shared some of their lunch with him. The look that crossed his face was odd like he was touched but at the same time suspicious and unused to kindness from people he hardly knew.

The next day, he came in with a foot tall four layer bento box made of black lacquered wood and covered in mother of pearl. After eating the first layer of food, he offered the other three to them saying that he had 'misjudged the amount of food he needed for lunch.' She and the others knew that was a lie and that he had likely asked his parents to make a larger meal to share with them to pay them back from yesterday.

A feeling of euphoria passed through her as she took her first bite of food. Whichever of his parents cooked this did an excellent job! It was as if she was eating food from a five-star restaurant. Glancing around she noticed the others were equally enraptured in their meals, eating with animalistic gusto. Not one to forget her manners. However, she placed her chopsticks down for a moment and said "This food is great Kusanagi-san, is one of your parents a chef?"

Smirking he replied "No, but it's nice to know my cooking is appreciated."

All mouths, some still full of half-chewed food, dropped open at that pronouncement.

Swallowing his mouthful of rice, Kenji said, "Dude, you cooked this?"

"I did," Godou replied with a nod.

Frowning in thought Rui asked, "But why do you know how to cook so well?"

"My parents aren't around very much so I taught myself to be self-sufficient for me and my little sister's sake." He replied in a slightly frigid tone, clearly agitated with this line of questioning.

Thankfully the others were wise enough to realize this and drop the subject. However, they all knew that if Godou came into class in a foul mood, it was usually thanks to his parents' absence in his, and more importantly, his little sisters' life. That was another thing that made her and Godou closer than the others, they were both older siblings.

The others' being only children; didn't understand the feeling of protectiveness that comes from a young infant looking to you to protect them, but to also teach them, and put up a good example. Yuri imagined that in Godou's case, it went double or triple considering his parents constant absence. Despite being an older sister herself, Yuri couldn't imagine what it would be like if her parents all but abandoned Hikari and herself to their own devices. The fact that he could take care of himself and his little sister was a testament to his character in her eyes.

To see him hurting like he was right now made her heart ache for some unknown reason. She didn't like it. So, mustering up all the little courage and considerable compassion she had, she made her way over to her friend. Stopping a couple of feet from him, she called his name "K-Kusanagi-san?"

He neither turned around nor acknowledged her presence in any way. Thinking he didn't hear her she gently tapped him on the shoulder. She just managed to suppress a yelp from not only having her wrist snatched, but also the look of his face. He was very, VERY upset about something and it showed. His mouth was set into a thin line, his eyes were ringed black by a lack of sleep, yet were hardened and flinty like cut jade had been put in his eye sockets in place of eyes. The look of annoyance at being bothered this early in the morning vanished when he saw just who had tapped him on the shoulder.

Quickly schooling his features, he let her go and smiling sheepishly said "Sorry about that Mariya-san, you startled me."

Yuri, however, wasn't buying it. Gently taking his wrist in hand, she asked, "Is something wrong Kusanagi-san, did something happen between you and your parents at home this morning?"

He frowned slightly before smiling reassuringly and saying "It's nothing you need to worry about Mariya-san."

He attempted to pull his arm out of her grasp, only to find her grip had become vice-like. Looking into her eyes he found them to be full of a firm resolve as she said "K-Kusanagi-san! You helped me once, now let me r-return the favor-"Looking at the floor she finished with a barely audible mumble "Please?"

Sighing internally, he said, "Alright, it's like this Yuri, I was woken up an hour earlier than usual today by my parents arguing…they are planning on getting a divorce."

Yuri hid a gasp by covering her mouth as he continued "Yes, apparently my father thinks that just because I'm not the most polite or affectionate, that my mother had an affair. When I heard that; I decided to finally tell them what I really thought of them never being there for myself or Shizuka. How they took myself and my grandparents for granted, and how I basically thought they were terrible parents. Part of me feels they deserve it, another part of me though…I don't know if I did the right thing-Yuri?!" he asked startled.

He was startled because the chestnut haired girl had hugged him. Now usually, as a whole Japanese people were not overly affectionate especially in public. It was not taboo, per se, it's just that physical contact of any kind was considered rather intimate, and thus usually kept to private settings. So for Yuri to hug him like this was surprising. Add that fact that when he still trying to get over the mindset of not killing the people he came into contact with; an instinct ingrained into him due to his millennia as a Counter Guardian. Thus, it was no surprise he stiffened like a statue, unable to move, sans his hands which half-formed fists as if attempting to grasp the hilts of swords that were not there… This had never happened to Shizuka or his grandparents as he'd either seen it coming or initiated contact himself. But this time he was caught totally off guard.

Sensing something was wrong with her friend upon feeling him stiffen, she looked up from where her head was buried in his chest. What she saw confused her. Her friend had a pained look on his face, his eyes had a faraway look in them and he seemed to be opening and then clenching his jaw shut as if to prevent words from escaping. Worriedly she asked, "Kusanagi-san…Godou…is something wrong?"

Jerking his head from side to side he replied shakily "N-No Yuri. Let's go sit down, ok?"

Both were so preoccupied with their thoughts' they never noticed they called each other by their first names. They sat down, oblivious to the knowing smirks being shared by their friends. Kenji was going to make a comment on how close they were only to be stopped when Sensei clapped her hands, bringing order to the class.

Smiling at her students Alyssa said, "Good morning everyone."

As one the class chanted back "Good morning Evans-sensei!"

Smiling at her students, she said, "Today we'll have a student-teacher class. He'll be with us today to observe us and see what it's like to teach a class of young people. Please be nice to him. You can come in now!" She called towards the door.

Moments later, a young man in his early late teens or twenties with messy black hair and square framed glasses walked into the class wearing a black and white three piece suit. Emiya watched him keenly as he practically glided into the classroom on cat's paws, not wasting any movement, his breathing even. Yet these things weren't blatantly obvious, and his attire and kind smile made it even harder to detect such things.

He glances to his side to find Mariya staring at the man in confusion.

"You know him?" he muttered to her.

Nodding minutely Yuri replied "Yeah, he's a family friend who works for the government."

Looking back at the man he narrowed his eyes and said "Yet he comes in here under the pretenses of being a Student-Teacher and has some martial arts training…curious."

"Seriously?" Kenji asked.

Nodding while not taking his eyes off the man, the former Counter Guardian replied "Yes, he moves too smoothly. No movement is wasted in any movement he makes. Yet he tries to hide it under a disarming smile and clothes…he's probably a ninja." Emiya said at length.

He said this as, in his experience, any other martial artist wouldn't have bothered to hide their serene yet powerful aura that most of them attained through the practice of their skills.

"What do we do Godou?" Tarou asked his leader. He was the quietest of the group, introverted and rarely speaking. But when he chose to speak, he usually said something smart as he was quite observant due to most people not noticing him and saying things they shouldn't in front of him.

"We play it cool and keep an eye on him. He's got to be here for a reason, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to know what it is."

Seeing the others nod, he turned and tuned into what remained of the man's speech.

"-so I hope we can all get along, please treat me kindly." He finished with a bow.

As the man retreated to a chair situated in the corner of the room, his eyes flicked to Emiya's for a moment. The two locked gazes for a brief eternity, sizing each other up until the man smiled and gave him a polite little wave before sitting down.

_'__Oh, this guy's going down.'_ Emiya thought to himself.

* * *

The former Counter Guardian found himself increasingly annoyed as the day dragged on. As they worked on writing, he was being stared at. As they worked on math, and science, he was being stared at, during 'nap time' in which he meditated was being stared at. During lunch in which he and his friends commenced their ritual of sharing their meals, he was being stared at, judged and analyzed like germs on a Petrie dish under a microscope. By the time recess had rolled around he'd had quite enough of this man and decided to do something about it.

But he'd learned something important from the man's constant surveillance of him…he was here to monitor him specifically, why he didn't yet know, but he intended to find out. So, when the other's including Mariya made their way to the baseball field, he reluctantly had to decline.

"Sorry, everyone, but I just remembered, I need to take care of something important." He had told them before he headed off towards the old abandoned building near the swimming pool.

He never saw the concerned looks on his friends faces as he walked away, they shared a glance and Kenji asked "He's gonna confront that guy isn't he?"

Probably yeah." Rui said.

Looking at his friends Tarou asked, "Backup?"

Kenji thought it over for a moment before turning to Yuri and asking "What do you think Mariya, believe that we should follow him just in case?"

Jumping a bit at suddenly being addressed, the chestnut haired girl stuttered out "I-I think that might be a good idea."

As the quartet stealthily followed their leader, Kenji asked in a muted whisper "What else can you tell us about this guy Mariya, anything?"

"Ano, his name is Amakasu Touma. He like my dad works for the government, he's a family friend whose come around since I was small…and also, he likes dating Sims and manga." She whispered conspiratorially in the end.

The boys stifled a laugh at that and kept on moving, arriving only moments behind their friend just in time to see him enter the old dilapidated building near the swimming pool. Moments later, Amakasu-san appeared following him inside. Looking at each other they nodded before rushing forward, and, caught the door before it swung shut, sneaking inside behind the man.

* * *

Walking into what he assumed was the former swim club house turned into a storage shed if the dust, numerous crates, and old broken stalls were any indication, Emiya began to think of a plan. He had no doubt that the man had followed him in here which meant they were hidden from prying eyes. So he could easily take him out should he turn hostile. Seeing as he had both his age and magecraft on his side, the chances were good he could get the drop on the man if it came down to it.

Walking through the maze boxes he came to a vast open area that was, for the most part, devoid of crates. Putting his back to the wall of boxes he waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, he called into the gloom "You can come out now, I know you're there."

Some crates moved on his left, and for a moment, he thought Amakasu was going to appear from behind them, but no. Instead a couple of mice ran across the floor, kicking up miniscule clouds of dust. Refocusing his gaze forwards, he watched Amakasu casually emerge from the shadows. Walking forward with a kind smile on his face as if he were taking a walk in the park instead of in an abandoned rodent and insect infested building.

The two stared each other down for a moment, the younger with a scowl on his face and suspicion in his eyes, and the elder with polite interest shining behind bespectacled eyes. After a moment, the younger put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall of crates before saying "What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything from you Kusanagi-san and that I am merely wondering why you are heading into an abandoned building on campus?"

"Cut the crap!" He snapped His emotions from this morning along with being studied as a bug in a jar finally boiling over as he narrowed his eyes and continued. "We both know you've been watching me, I know you're not really a student-teacher thanks to Yuri and I can tell from experience that you've had martial arts training. So I'll ask again just who are you and what do you want?"

In response to his accusation, Amakasu's face became a blank slate for a moment before he smiled once again. This time it seemed much more genuine as he did. Still smiling he said "Excellent, excellent indeed Godou-kun. My employers will be very pleased to hear how astute you are."

Raising an eyebrow Emiya asked "Oh, and just who are your employers Amakasu-_sensei_?"

"Powerful people, that's all I'm at liberty to say," Amakasu replied giving the young boy an apologetic bow.

"Can I at least get the name of the organization you work for?" Emiya asked as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

Amakasu shrugged before saying "I guess that couldn't hurt. The organization I work for is called the History Compilation Committee Kusanagi-kun."

_'__History compilation committee…a Magic Association?_ _What do these people want with Mariya? _Emiya wondered.

Deciding to test the waters, he crossed his arms and asked, "So, what do these people want with Mariya and me?"

"Ah…I'm not at liberty to tell you what they want Mariya-san for I'm afraid. But, I can say they see great promise in your intellect and wish to see you succeed," Amakasu stated in that kind gentle voice of his.

"Just to be clear, you're refusing to tell me what some secret organization wants my friend for. Is that right?" he said in an all too even tone.

Amakasu suddenly felt like he was in the room with a falcon or a hawk as the boy's gaze was sharp and calm, yet calculating and challenging. Biting back the urge to swallow, Amakasu used the iron will that had been drilled into him from a young age to prevent himself from breaking into a cold sweat as he said."Yes, that's correct."

"Wrong answer. **_Trace on."_**

It was only due to more than a decades' worth of training that Amakasu Toma's body managed to react in time to a threat. Launching himself backward while simultaneously pulling the tanto styled wakizashi hidden up his sleeve to defend himself against the boy's sudden charge. He softened the impact against the crates and stopped the blades from cleaving into his torso at the same time.

By the time his mind caught up to what his body had done, he was already blocking another slash to his body by a pair of black and white blurs. As he just barely managed to avoid getting his throat slit by one blade he was forced to roll to avoid getting disemboweled. Straightening he got a good look at the swords for the first time.

They were stunning really. Each was a masterwork that perfectly mirrored the other. One was a cloudy white with a stripe of black running up its center. While its twin was inky black and covered in tortoiseshell hexagons, the only thing breaking the pattern was the stripe of white in the middle of the blade. Both of them possessed yin-yang symbols in their centers surrounded by blood red metal. Their grips were covered in black leather, and obscenely large crimson pommels topped off both blades.

They were splendid, immaculate…they were completely undamaged. He could hardly believe it, but his eyes weren't lying to him. Kusanagi's twin swords were still as flawless as when he summoned them in a flash of golden light. Glancing down at his own blade however, Amakasu grimaced. It looked as if it had been fed into a wood chipper. Its edge was all but destroyed, gouged out and chipped away by just a few blows, the blade itself was bent at a right angle, and the tip of the sword had been cut clean off.

_'__I might as well use this for a crowbar for all the good it does me now.'_ He thought wryly, casting it aside and holding his hands up submissively and saying "It appears you have me at a disadvantage Kusanagi-kun. I was unaware you were a magic user."

"Pff, it seems your committee isn't as knowledgeable as you think." He replied. Secretly, however, he was mildly impressed. While he was only reinforcing himself to be five times stronger and faster than an average human, Amakasu still managed to avoid getting cut to bloody ribbons even if it cost him his sword.

This was why he decided to give him one last chance.

Stepping forward slowly he thrust Kanshou forward. Placing the tip of the black blade against the bespectacled man's throat. He said in a menacing yet calm tone, "One last chance, tell me what you want Mariya for or you drown in a pool of your own blood."

He watched silently as Amakasu broke out into a light cold sweat. His Adam's apple scraping against the tip of Kanshou as he swallowed nervously before saying "I think I can do that now since I know yours a part of the magical community. The long short of it is, the Committee knows Mariya Yuri comes from a long line of Hime-Miko, those born with innate magical abilities. Her family has long been known to possess the art of Spirit Vision, the ability to access the memories of the Void- the memories of the planet itself." Amakasu clarified when he saw the boy didn't understand.

This need for clarification made the ninja dare to ask a question "Kusanagi-san if you don't mind my asking, just what God do you pay homage to get those blades?"

The result wasn't at all what he was expecting "Huh, what are you talking about? I used magic."

Nodding and nicking his throat on Kanshou's point in the process, Amakasu replied "Yes, I know but I'm curious as to which god you prayed to enact the miracle."

_'__So that's how magic works here? People pray to deities and they enact the miracle on their behalf? Seems even more dangerous than what we used back home if even half the myths about the gods and their fickleness are real._ Emiya thought to himself.

The question was, how was he going to deal with this. He could lie and say he is a follower of some deity like Hephaestus. Or he could tell the truth, and quite possibly turn the magical world on its ear once they learned magecraft could be enacted without prayer to fickle deities. Carefully weighing his options, he came to a decision.

***Bong***

The sound of the bell which signaled the end of recess saved him from having to give his answer. Dropping Kanshou to his side he took a couple of steps back and regarded Amakasu for a moment before saying "We'll finish this discussion another time."

Rubbing his throat where he had received a few minor nicks, the ninja replied "Of course Kusanagi-kun. I should warn you though that once the Committee learns you can do magic, they will be even keener for you to join their ranks. Before, they just saw a very intelligent ten -year-old, a possible child prodigy. Once they find out you are also a magic user, they'll likely never stop hounding you until you join them."

Allowing the married twin swords to dissipate in his hands, the former Counter Guardian coolly regarded the ninja for a moment. Turning and heading towards the entrance, he said casually "If they bother me too much, I'll just kill them all."

"Eh, your joking right Kusanagi-san…right?" Amakasu asked. Yet he did not answer, nor did he look back…

* * *

"You're late Kusanagi-kun." Alyssa-sensei gently chided before adding "…and why are you covered in dust? Did you and your friends go sneaking off somewhere together? Because you all came back covered in dust and cobwebs."

Looking over at their usual table, he found his friends were also covered in dirt but were either refusing to meet his gaze or staring at him in god-like awe. That meant only one thing…

_'__They were in the building when I confronted Amakasu. Guess it wasn't just rats after all.'_ He thought to himself.

He would deal with them in a moment, first he had a slightly miffed teacher to placate. "Well you see Sensei-"He began, only to be cut off by Amakasu, who walked up from behind him and said "I apologize, Kusanagi-kun and his friends were showing me around campus. We all ended up getting a bit dirty when we decided to check out the abandoned clubroom near the swimming pool."

Frowning slightly, Alyssa told her understudy "You shouldn't have gone in there. That place is old, it could've collapsed at any minute and all manner of junk is stored in there from what I've been told. What if one of the children had gotten hurt?" she chastised.

Bowing at the waist, Amakasu offered numerous apologies to his senior teacher. But she merely waved them off and said "I guess it's fine, seeing as none of the kids got hurt but don't go in there again ok? It's dangerous."

Seeing the two nod she smiled and finished "Good, now back to your seats, both of you."

Putting on his most fearsome scowl as he turned around, he had to resist the urge to smirk as all of his friends paled more and more the closer he came to their table. After he had sat down, an oppressive silence hung over them all. Emiya felt slightly bad having to subject Mariya to this, but he knew one of them would break in a couple of seconds.

"Alright look, man, I know we shouldn't have followed you, but we're your friends and we were worried about you so-"

**"****Silence."**

The word was spoken softly, but it had weight to it. So much so that Kenji's words died upon his lips. He gazed at his small circle of friends like a hawk for a moment, causing most of them to wince. He finally said, "I think we should all meet up after school and clear the air on a few things, agreed?"

As one, they all nodded. Nodding once himself, Emiya turned to Mariya, who was almost shaking like a leaf and said gently "Mariya, can we meet at your place? We can't go to mine for…reasons I told you earlier."

"Oh-OH, right. Of course Kusanagi-kun. You're all welcome at my house. My parents have wanted to meet you all anyway. Especially you Kusanagi-kun." She finished with a smile on her face.

Seemingly not hearing the last part as he was lost in his own thoughts, he nodded saying "It's settled then, we'll meet up at Mariya's after school. For now, let's just focus on getting through the rest of the school day."

* * *

When the school bell rang for the day, Emiya headed for the parking lot, intending to walk to Mariya's place as he didn't have a ride…or so he thought. When he reached the parking lot, he found Ichirou's silver Prius sitting there like it always was. Biting back a sigh, he thought _'I should've seen this coming.'_

He walked to the door and opened it tossing his backpack in before hoping in himself. There was silence in the car for a moment before Ichirou said "You gave me quite a scare when I learned you walked to school by yourself Godou-kun. Then again, considering the morning you had, I guess you needed to clear your head hmm?"

Facing forward, he said coldly "I guess you could say that…If you expect me to apologize to them, you're barking up the wrong tree. They've had this coming for a long time and-"

He was cut off when Ichirou said "I agree, sad as it is to say, about my own daughter and son-in-law."

Emiya looked at his grandfather in surprise. He honestly expected to be told off, I mean his mother was the man's daughter after all.

Seeing the look on his face, Ichirou smirked slightly saying "You thought I'd be mad didn't you?" Ichirou sighed sadly, his mood souring before he said, "No, I don't blame you for snapping Godou-kun. I knew it would only be a matter of time until you did so if Mayo and Genzou didn't clean up their act."

Silence had pervaded the car for a moment before Emiya asked "So, how bad did they take it?"

Starting the car, Ichirou replied "Your mother is a balling mess. She's been on the phone with Chiyo ever since you left for school. If she expected sympathy, she didn't get much of it. I've always been the softer parent of the two of us while your grandmother excelled at being strict but fair."

The former Counter Guardian wasn't surprised. Obāsan always made it quite plain about how she felt her daughter and son-in-law were living their lives. He also had no doubt once she got through chewing her out, she would tell his Kaa-san that she needed to do some serious thinking and had a lot of making up to do.

Interrupting his thoughts Ichirou continued "When she heard Genzou-kun thought your mother had an affair, I had to stop her from going over there and beating him to death with a rolling pin. She settled for tearing him a new one over the phone instead."

He had no doubt both of his parents were waiting for him to come home so they could begin an apologetic tirade. But he really didn't want to deal with that right now, and he couldn't afford to either. Bigger things were going on than his parents realizing they were terrible parents. Looking out the windshield he noticed they were almost at Yuri's place. And so turning to the Kusanagi patriarch he said, "Could you drop me off at the shrine near the house Jiji? I'm meeting with my friends and one of them lives up there."

"Sure." He replied with a nod coming to a stop in front of the long stone steps leading up to the shrine. Putting the car in park he said, "You'll have to talk to them eventually you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Thanks for the ride Jiji." He said before getting out of the car.

_'__I know I need to talk to them Jiji, but the Old Man and Kaa-san can wait a bit. Right now, I've got some friends who saw something they shouldn't have. A mysterious man working for an even stranger organization that want Mariya and myself for something, and I don't know what it is. And that bothers me. It bothers me because if people want to use me that's fine, I'm used to being used…but no one is going to use my friends'. _

Taking a breath, walked through the tori gate and began his climb up the steps. Upon reaching the top, he found a stone walkway in front of him lined with Toro, decorative stone lanterns. Off to his left was a Temizuya, purification font which visitors would use to cleanse one's hands and mouth. Further down on the same side were also smaller auxiliary shrines, and what he assumed was a building used for Noh theater or Kagura dance. There was also an Ema, a wooden plaque with which people could write down wishes on paper and post them on the board.

On his left was the administration office. It looked like it had been converted into a house big enough for several people to live in. Then, at the far end was a typical Japanese Shinto shrine. The entrance to the prayer hall in front of the shrine was flanked by stone Lion Dogs. Behind the prayer hall was the actual shrine where the statue or statues of the kami the shrine was dedicated to were kept. Not having met Yuri's parents yet and not wanting to seem rude or disrespectful, he walked over to the purification font and rinsed both his hands before scooping some into his mouth and swishing it around.

He heard footsteps approaching from behind him. They were too light to be and adults' and by the scent of sakura blossoms that was carried on the wind, he knew who was behind him, even before she spoke.

"Ano, what are you doing Kusanagi-kun?" A confused Mariya Yuri asked.

Holding up a finger so as to ask for a moment he swished the sanctified water in his mouth before spitting it out to the side. Straightening he turned to his hostess and replied "I didn't want to seem disrespectful to your parents, so I cleaned myself up a bit before coming inside."

Yuri smiled, touched by the gesture. Especially since none of the others had bothered to do so. She noticed something was off about him and it took her a moment to place it. It was his shoulders. They were less stiff than they usually were when they were in class together. He was still alert, she could tell that much. But now he didn't give off the feeling of danger like he was a cocked gun or a sword half drawn out of its sheath like he usually did.

_ '__He seems more relaxed. Is it the serenity of the shrine, the fact that we know about his secret and he doesn't have to hide it or is it something else?'_ she wondered.

For his part, Emiya was feeling oddly euphoric and had been since he stepped through the Tori gate leading up to the Mariya temple. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way though. He was never a particularly chipper person even before he became a Beast of Alaya, only gaining momentary joy by helping someone else, and even that was fleeting. Yet after he cleansed himself in the font, he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. The tension that had built up over centuries of guilt that weighed on him from being a Counter Guardian and all the lives he was forced to take, for the ideals he was made to betray.

_'__Something is going on…I'll add it to the mounting list.'_ He thought, before turning to Yuri and asking "Has everyone else arrived yet?"

Yuri nodded and led the way to the administrative office saying "Yeah, they went straight here. You're the last to arrive."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait or scare you earlier." He apologized.

Yuri smiled at him saying "That's alright. You were just worried about how we would react right?"

"More or less." He replied with a shrug.

Shaking her head at his usual aloofness, Yuri became solemn and muttered "Amakasu-san arrived too…What do you think these Committee people are going to do to us?"

"I don't know-" Yuri was stopped when she felt him gently take hold of her arm. Looking at him, she was surprised to find his gaze had become fierce and steely as he said "But I can tell you what they're not going to do. They're not going to dictate anything to either of us, and they're not going to take us anywhere or make us do anything we don't want to do."

"But-But Kusanagi-kun-" Yuri began, only to be spoken over, "No buts. I won't let anyone hurt you or our friends, Yuri."

She wanted to refute him. To tell him that taking on an entire shadow organization was tantamount to suicide, but the look in his eyes stopped her. There was something in his eyes just then that killed the words off in her throat. His eyes held such conviction and surety that she couldn't bring herself to refute. So instead, she just nodded in thanks and led him inside, silently glad he was here for her. If not for his assurances, she knew she would likely be distressing over the fact some shadow government had been monitoring her for signs of magical ability.

Her home was modest and simple, being on the grounds of a shrine, but Mariya liked it like that. Everything always seemed to move at such a fast pace away from the shrine. The technology was continually advancing at a rate that scared her, but here she didn't have to worry about the fast paced life everyone else lived. It was large enough for a family of four and, should a large gathering occur, such as during the holidays, the Noh Theater could be used.

But the house itself consisted of a foyer, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and three bedrooms. One of which was currently being used as a nursery for her little sister Hikari. After taking off their shoes and putting slippers on, Emiya let Yuri led him down the hallway. It had wooden floors and the walls painted a warm peach color, and into the kitchen where her mother had just finished making a pot of tea for everyone.

"Kaa-san, Kusanagi-kun arrived. Kusanagi-kun this is my mom, Mariya Shiori." Yuri informed him semi nervously. She knew out of all her friends, her parents were keenest on meeting Godou.

When Mrs. Mariya turned around, he couldn't help but notice how much Yuri favored her. Except for her hair which was black she looked like a taller, and older version of her daughter in her mid to late thirties. She had the same facial structure, same kind brown eyes, and same elegance about her.

She smiled warmly at her daughter and Godou and said serenely "I know dear, I saw him purifying himself out the window. It's nice to finally meet you Kusanagi-kun and welcome to our home. Please, feel free to make yourself comfortable."

Bowing politely he replied "I apologize for all of us suddenly coming over like this ma'am. It was my idea, so I suppose I should have asked first."

"What a polite young man, I can see why Yuri speaks so highly of you," Shiori said with approval in her tone as her daughter turned into a red-faced stuttering mess.

I-No-Well yes, I mean-"

"Oh, speaks highly of me you say? And just what kind of things does Mariya-san say about me I wonder?" He asked teasingly, causing her face to turn crimson and for her words to become completely illegible.

"-Idon'tmeanforyoutothinkI-NotthatIdon'tImeanIdo,but…"

"Awe, my little flower has her first crush." Mrs. Mariya cooed.

Shaking her head left to right rapidly enough to make her hair swirl about her, Yuri denied red-faced, "NO I don't have a crush on Godou-kun!"

Not letting such an apparent chance to tease her pass him by, Emiya faked an injury while saying, "And here I thought we were close Yuri, my poor wounded heart!"

"W-We are friends Godou-kun, please don't believe that we aren't!" she said quickly afraid he might misunderstand the situation.

To her, Godou was her best friend, she just didn't know if she liked him like **_that_** quite yet. Then she noticed the smirk on his and her mother's faces and said blandly "Y-Your both teasing me aren't you?"

Making a small space between a clenched thumb and index finger Emiya replied "Only a little bit."

For some reason, she couldn't explain why that made her feel very relieved. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Yuri took the tray of tea and rice crackers her mother had made with a nod of thanks, saying "Come on Kusanagi-kun, the others are waiting."

"Right." He said with a nod, before turning to her mother and saying "It was nice meeting you, ma'am."

"You too Godou-kun," Shiori replied kindly.

After he had left, Shiori thought, _'Yuri-chan you may not realize it yet, but you have feelings of some kind for that boy. You didn't even notice calling him by his first name and adding Kun. Most people would be sure not to make that mistake.'_

"You both remind me so much of your father and me when I was your age." She had said wistfully before she let out a happy sigh before she started preparing dinner for her family and several guests.

* * *

Amakasu sat in Mariya's living room, on a pillow situated around a little wooden table large enough to seat ten or so. It was a place he had been many times, but this time, it was different. This time, secrets were going to be revealed, but hopefully knowledge, and possibly new recruits for the Committee were going to be gained. It was a risky gambit and one that he, as a ninja trained in espionage from a young age didn't personally like. For he took to heart the old adage: _"He who increases knowledge, increases sorrow."_

Once one knows something, one cannot un-know it. Once one sees how dark the world truly is, and how deep the machinations of those in power went to keep things hidden, something was lost. Innocence was lost. Not just childhood innocence, no, more than that. If one looked too deeply their entire outlook on people, on right and wrong, on morality itself could be twisted. If they learned here what was done to keep those like themselves blissfully ignorant of what was truly going on around them…well, he honestly didn't know how they would react.

He didn't like it, but he received orders from the Four Families. They were the ruling body of the Committee itself, before coming over here: Mariya could wait, but he was to bring Kusanagi to them by any means necessary…**_any_** means necessary. Extortion, bribery, death threats, promises of power, he was authorized to do whatever he deemed necessary to bring Kusanagi to before the Four Families.

His head jerked up when he heard footsteps coming towards the living room from the kitchen. Moments later; Mariya-chan, carrying a tea tray laden with a teapot and rice crackers appeared, as well as Kusanagi-kun himself. Taking an empty seat directly across from him with Yuri occupying his left, the circle of pillows had been completed.

Silence reigned as cups full of green tea, as well as saucers laden with rice snacks, were passed around. Once everyone was served, Godou-kun cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention before saying "I'm sure you all have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. However, I also reserve the right to pass on an issue at any given time should I feel it's too invasive. Understood?"

Seeing everyone nod he took a sip of tea before saying "Good, then let's begin. Kenji, you go first since I can practically feel your bubbling excitement and curiosity from here."

All but bouncing on his pillow, Kenji asked, "Are you like a Super Sentai or something man? Because it would be so cool if you were, and we could totally keep it a secret."

Giving a grimace, Emiya replied "No, I'm not a 'Super Sentai.' In fact, I rather dislike heroes in general."

Folding his arms over his chest Kenji asked "Well if you're not a Superhero then what are you?" His eyes suddenly widened and he asked almost fearfully "You're not a super **_villain_** are you?"

Shaking his head, Emiya replied "I'd consider myself more of an anti-hero than anything. Someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to actually protect people. Heroes don't kill, if it came down to it, I think I'd be willing to if it meant protecting you guys."

"So would you have actually killed Amakasu-san?" Rui asked squeamishly.

Looking said man right in the eyes he replied "If he had refused to tell me what I wanted to know? Maybe. Dead men can't talk so I wouldn't be able to learn anything about the people he works for if he were dead. But by the same token, I don't like the idea of someone reporting everything I do to some shadow government."

"Harsh man," Tarou commented.

Shrugging, Emiya replied "Real politics one-oh-one." He then took a sip of tea before saying "But enough dancing around the subject. We all know what you all really want to ask so just say it."

"You're a mage aren't you?" Tarou stated bluntly.

Nodding before taking a bite out of a rice cracker, he said, "Yes I am."

There it was out in the open now. Now he just had to wait and see how they reacted.

A grin split from ear to ear on Kenji's face and he began bouncing on his pillow again before he said "Our friend is a mage! This is so cool! I've got so many questions! Like how does the magic work, what can you do? Can you fly, throw around lightning and fire, summon monsters from other planes of existence, or control the dead?"

Waiting a moment to make sure Kenji was finished talking, Emiya replied "No, I can't do any of that."

"Awe~!" Kenji moaned.

Tarou, however, made a very astute observation. "You're a battlemage, you fight at close range, use magic to summon swords, and somehow make yourself stronger and faster than you should be able to be."

_'__That's more or less correct and prevents me from revealing any of my actual abilities.'_ The third-rate Magus thought.

Giving Tarou a nod of thanks that could also be taken as one of clarification he said, "That's correct. I am primarily a combatant."

Amakasu then asked a question "And how exactly does your magic work, Godou-kun?"

"Pass." He replied with a smirk.

Frowning slightly Amakasu asked, "It has nothing to do with an invocation to deities does it?"

He thought about saying pass again but decided against it, instead replying "No."

Rubbing his chin in thought Amakasu said to himself "Interesting, were you trained by some sort of hermetic mage?"

"Possibly." He retorted.

_'__Possibly meaning 'yes' and I'm not going to give you a straight answer.'_ Amakasu thought while nodding and narrowing down a mental list in his mind before asking "Did this mentor give you those blades you fought me with?"

"No."

Amakasu was silently relieved to hear that for those blades were infused with the magic of the highest order, they were [Divine]. He would question the sanity of a teacher to give them to a student so young. But still, the fact that he had acquired such weapons means his mentor must have contacts even if he or she didn't give them to Godou-kun personally. Such powerful mages were few and narrowed the list down even further.

"My turn to ask a question Amakasu-_sensei, _what exactly is the overall goal of this Committee of yours?"

Amakasu didn't see any harm in telling him that so he replied "To keep the existence of magic and other paranormal phenomena hidden from the general public."

He watched as Godou-kun nodded as if he already expected that answer. He then enquired "How exactly do they go about doing this? Control of the media? Memory alteration? Murder?"

The others blanched at the question, but Amakasu noted his questioner wasn't even fazed in the slightest. The ninja was beginning to wonder just what he had undergone to become so desensitized to killing. Shoving the thought out of his mind he answered "Primarily the first two, and they have been known to bribe people into silence. Should that not work however…they have been known to take more permanent measures."

_'__So they're a less brutal variation of the Clocktower, good to know.'_ Emiya thought before asking "Who leads your organization?"

"They are the Four Families. Each has been in control of a fourth of the Committee since the start of the Meiji era two-hundred years ago."

_'__So not only are they more docile, but they are not as old as the Clocktower.'_

Finishing his tea, Emiya asked one more question. "Right then, I have one more question…just what do these people want with Mariya and I?" he finished.

"The Committee is relatively new compared to other magical organizations' that have been around since the Crusades or the Renaissance. Since we lack quantity when it comes to people with magical abilities, we seek to undermine it with quality. That is why we want Mariya. The original reason we wanted you Godou-kun is because you show signs of genius and that, just like magical aptitude, is rare and coveted. We would have and still will offer you advanced classes as it is clear that what you're learning now is child's play for you. " Amakasu explained.

"I see. Thanks, but no thanks, there's no way I'd abandon my friends, even if the work in class is boring as all hell. I think we all have plenty to think on for now. So let's call this meeting adjourned shall we?" Emiya inquired.

"Just, just one more thing Godou-kun," Amakasu said quickly, "You said you do not wish to abandon your friends, that's fine, but what would you, and they, say to a…student exchange program for a couple of months?"

A look of intrigue crossed his face and he looked ready to inquire further, but just then Shiori called into the living room, "Everyone, dinner is ready!"

_'__Based on current information, threat level currently set to low. Status set to change upon any relevant information gathered in the future. Amakasu's offer…requires thought.'_ He thought mechanically as he made his way into Mariya's dining room.

It was during a simple dinner of grilled fish, rice, and miso soup that Emiya first met Yuri's little sister, Mariya Hikari. She was Shizuka's age and wouldn't be starting school for another year. She looked very much like her sister except she wore her brown hair cut short, and she seemed far less shy as she insisted on clinging to his arm even while they ate dinner.

"While I appreciate the fact that you've taken a shine to me Hikari-chan, I'm having trouble eating."

"Hikari, let your sister's friend go and eat your dinner." Shiori told her youngest from across the table.

Turning to look at her mother for a moment, Hikari frowned, but nodded before letting go of his arm and turned back to her own meal sullenly. Not wanting her to think he was upset with her, he gently put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair like he often did with Shizuka before saying "Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything."

This caused the younger girl to smile and nod at him before returning to her plate.

Smiling at the exchange between the two Shiori noted "It seems you've gained an admirer Kusanagi-kun." As Hikari picked at her plate, occasionally shooting the older boy furtive glances.  
Sighing he told the woman "Shizuka is the exact same way, always wanting to cling on me when I'm around. I don't know why kids like me so much."

"They probably feel the knightly aura you put out. Yuri-chan told me, how you protected her the first day in school, thank you for that." She said giving him a slight bow due to the fact that she was sitting at the table.  
Waving away her thanks, and ignoring Yuri's indignant cry of "Kaa-san!" he replied "It's no trouble, I really can't stand bullies."

Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed in his pants pocket. Taking out the small silver and red device he flipped it open to find he had a message from Jiji. Opening it, he began to read…As he scrolled down his eyes widened. He promptly flicked it closed before saying "I'm very sorry Mrs. Mariya, but something came up and I need to leave."

He then made his way into the dining room and said the same thing to the others before heading into the foyer. He was in the midst of putting on his shoes, only to stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Yuri ask concernedly "Kusanagi-san, is something wrong?"

"No time to talk right now Yuri, my house is currently on fire." He replied distractedly before rushing out the door.

"Oh, I see-**EH?!** Yuri cried drawing the others to her.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, Kenji shook her while yelling "Oi, Mariya, what's going on, where'd Godou go?!"

"Kusanagi-kun…house…on fire." She managed between shakes.

**"****EH!"** Kenji said dropping the chestnut haired girl in shock, before saying "C'mon everyone let's get down there, follow Godou!"

* * *

The moment he left the Mayuri's foyer, Emiya reinforced his legs as much as he could and then he took off down the stairs. He easily reaching thirty miles per hour in a second and putting spider-web cracks in the stone where his feet landed as he raced down the stairs and then down the street. The only thought in his mind was making sure Shizuka and his parents were ok.

Had anyone been looking away from the accident at the moment, they would have seen a black-haired ten -years-old seemingly appear out of thin air cracking the cement as he landed. And yet, he seemingly did no harm to himself, as he swiftly made his way towards the scene.

His house was a burnt to skeletal cinders, nothing of the house itself remained except for the shed where he kept his magecraft research due to it being placed so far away from the inferno.

He tried to get closer to look for his parents and sister only to be stopped by a fireman who said "Stay back we're not quite finished putting the fire out."

Giving the man a glare that could kill he said bluntly "I live here with my infant sister, mother, and father. What happened, are they ok?"

Clearing his throat to discreetly shake off the shiver of fear the boy sent through him, the fireman replied "Ah yes they're fine even though the house is a loss. They're just over there." He said pointing to an ambulance.

Wasting no time he rushed off before he could learn the cause of the fire. Upon reaching the ambulance, he found Jiji and Obasan standing off to the side looking relieved as his father put a supporting hand on his mother's shoulder. Mayo herself sat inside the vehicle while holding Shizuka, who was crying…crying for him.

"Onii-chan, Kaa-san, where is Onii-chan!" the little girl cried.

"Shh, Shizuka-chan, I'm sure your brother is on his way," Mayo said trying her best to placate the crying five-year-old.

"I'm right here Shizuka, don't worry." A familiar voice said.

All of their heads snapped to him and he just couldn't resist. He had to say, "What, was it something I said?"

The moment she heard his voice, Shizuka stopped crying. When she saw he was actually here, she started wriggling, attempting to get out of her mother's grasp all the while yelling happily "Onii-chan, are you alright?!"

He couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "Alright, alright, come here and stop that before you do what the fire couldn't and hurt yourself Shizuka." He had said before he lifted her into his arms. Holding her up to his eye level of before asking "Is that better?"

"Onii-chan," Shizuka said contently before looking up at him concernedly and saying "You ok?"

Smiling, he said softly, "I'm ok Shizuka, and I'm not going anywhere don't worry. You can rest easy, your Onii-chan is here."

Now in her big brother's arms, Shizuka knew nothing could hurt her. That, combined with the excitement and emotional turmoil from earlier, and it was no surprise that her eyes began to droop and then, moments later, soft snores could be heard. Once he was sure she was sleeping soundly, he looked to his assembled family and said in a way that would brook no argument "What happened?"

As if that were some sort of signal, Mayo broke down into silent sobs. Genzou's grip on his wife's shoulder tightened as she took a minute to pull herself together. Once she did, she explained "It was all my fault. I realized pretty much everything you said this morning was right…"

So you tried to burn down the house?" he asked, causing Genzou to frown at him for his remark.

"No-" She said imperiously "- first I made a few calls. I was all set up to run my commercial advertising business from home so I could be here for you and Shizuka more. Then, tried to cook dinner."

Throwing her hands up in defeat she all but cried "I don't know what happened! One minute, I was heating up oil to make a stir-fry, the next the pan is on fire and when I tried to put it out, it just spread!"

Emiya blinked owlishly at his mother and thought _'There's no way she didn't know about that. Even she should know that right?'_

Taking a deep calming breath he asked "Kaa-san, did you by chance put water on a grease fire?"

Blinking in confusion, she asked "Of course I put water on it, how else does someone put a fire out when they don't have an extinguisher?"

The only thing preventing him from going off on a rant about stupidity, common sense, and kitchen safety at the moment was the fact that, not only was he holding Shizuka, but she was also asleep, and he didn't want her picking up any of the less than savory words he would have likely used. So instead, he took a deep shuddering breath, which caused his whole frame to shake slightly. Letting it out, he said in a flat, dead tone, "For future reference Kaa-san, you **_never_** put water on a grease fire, as it'll just make it spread. You use baking soda…baking soda. Do you understand?"

Mayo slowly nodded her head like a child who had just been given instructions, before glumly saying "What will we do now? Our house-"The charred skeletal remains of their house chose that moment to collapse-"Is gone."

"Well, I insured the house, but…" Genzou said.

"But what?" Mayo asked worriedly.

"I mainly focused on flood and earthquake insurance, not fires." He finished lamely.

Emiya couldn't help but deadpan "Well, this makes this situation all the more ironic doesn't it?"

The sound of various approaching feet were heard and seconds later all of his friends arrived on the scene.

"Hi guys, I got the fire if you've got the hot dogs and marshmallows." He quipped upon seeing them.

Mariya ever the bleeding heart asked, "Oh Kusanagi-kun what happened?"

Shrugging he replied "As it turns out, grease fire plus water equals raging inferno. Who knew right?"

"Your family ok boss?" Tarou asked.

Pointing a thumb behind him, he said, "That's Ichirou-Jiji, Chiyo-Oba-san, my Kaa-san, and the Old Man."

Looking down at the still sleeping girl in his arms he smiled softly and said "And this is my little sister Shizuka."

Taking a few tentative steps closer to her, while the others introduce themselves to his family, Yuri whispered "Awe, she's so cute! How old is she Kusanagi-kun?"

"A little over and five years old, and already a handful." He said with whispered pride.

A surprised look crossed Yuri's face. "Oh wow, really? And she's the same age as Hikari-chan. I bet they would make great friends."

Giving a grunt of approval he replied "I had similar thoughts as well."

"Ahem." The voice of his mother said from behind them, causing them both to turn to see her now sitting regally in the ambulance as if it were some kind of throne. Smiling at them both mischievously before saying "Who is your little friend Godou?"

"Kaa-san, this is Mariya Yuri. Yuri, this is my mother and my Old Man."

Sighing in exasperation Genzou said, "Would it kill you to call me dad for once brat?"

Shrugging he retorted "I dunno, probably."

Next to him Yuri suddenly bowed at the waist and said "N-Nice to meet you both."

Mayo smiled at the formal display. "My how cute. Your family runs the shrine up the road don't they?"

Straightening and nodding, Yuri replied "Yes ma'am."

Nodding once herself, Mayo said, "I thought so, and no need to be so formal dear. Call me Mayo if you want. I think it's good Godou has you for a friend, maybe it'll lighten him up a bit." She finished thoughtfully.

"Tch, what's that supposed to mean? And how the heck are we going to repair the house?" Emiya asked.

Both Mayo and Genzou opened their mouths to respond, only to shut them and look at one another for a moment before nodding. "I could call in a few favors and you father could cash in some investments," Mayo stated "We could probably make the house bigger and better than before if we wanted to."

"That won't be necessary Mrs. Kusanagi," A familiar voice to Emiya and his friends said, one that suddenly filled him with a sense of annoyance.

Striding up to the group with that insufferable easy-going smile plastered on his face was Amakasu Touma. Stopping in front of his parents he bowed in front of them briefly before introducing himself.

"Hello, I'm Amakasu Touma I work as a scout for a very select prestigious school in the mountains of Gunma. It is called Chichibu, and it is located inside the boundaries of Saitama prefecture. The people I work for have taken a particular interest in your son and as such, would like to pay to have your house rebuilt to your specifications."

Both Mayo and Genzou looked at one another and Genzou asked what he assumed was the obvious question "Excuse me Amakasu-san, but why does your school have an interest in our son?"

Slipping a hand into his coat pocket, he pulled out a folded sheaf of papers, giving it to the man while answering his question "Sir, your son is a child prodigy. He's already writing with Kanji, not needing to learn Hiragana first. He has done several other interesting things according to his teacher and we are very interested in having him as a student. So much so, that paying to have your house rebuilt is nothing."

Both Mayo and Genzou sat and looked through the sheaf of papers. _'All A's, can paint, meditates, cooks enough to feed both himself and his friends during lunch, is very active during recess playing baseball…'_ Mayo thought as she read realizing once again just how little she knew her son.

Turning to him she asked, "Godou is all of this right?"

Holding out a hand to look through the notes and giving them a quick once over, he replied with a shrug "Pretty much."

"Yes, in fact, thanks to him his friends are also excelling in all of their classes as well and have also been accepted into the same institution. We were just meeting at Mariya-chan's house to discuss how to proceed weren't we Godou-kun?" Amakasu asked while looking into his eyes.

Emiya narrowed his eyes understanding the hidden message _"I'm willing to include your friends and rebuild your house. Now, you can either play ball with me or I reveal things you'd rather keep hidden."_

Nodding, he replied "Yeah that's right. I trust there won't be any problems Amakasu-sensei? Such sudden transfers can be…messy."- _"I'll see what your Committee wants but if they even think of putting my friends or family in danger, they're all dead."_

Shaking his head and still smiling Amakasu replied "No there won't be any problems, I assure you."- _"I know the Committee won't do anything as stupid as that."_

"Good to know,"- _"They had better not, or your head will roll."_

Mayo and Genzou, who hadn't caught on to the byplay of the conversation, finally decided to speak up "You made this decision without asking us?"

Shrugging once again he replied "Well I would've involved you but we didn't exactly leave off on great terms this morning now did we?"

Both of his parents flinched at the reminder of what transpired earlier. For the first time since he arrived Ichirou spoke up "So you're going to some private school Godou-kun?"

"Yah, regular classes are kind boring so I'm hoping this new place will be at least a little challenging Jiji." He replied.

Frowning Chiyo replied "What about Shizuka? You know how attached she is to you. Also, Amakasu-san, how much will it cost to send Godou-kun to this school?"

Emiya looked down at the little girl in his arms before turning to Amakasu and asking "I'm assuming we'll be allowed home for the holidays and vacation like a regular school?"

Nodding Amakasu replied "Yes, of course, and it costs nothing, as this school only accepts the best and the brightest and merely wishes to see them reach their full potential. Room and board are all provided as standard as well as books and clothing."

When will he be heading to this new school, Amakasu-san?" Mayo asked.

"We would like to get Godou-kun and his friends acclimated as soon as possible so whenever he's ready we'll renting a car to drive to Gunma.

Handing the still sleeping Shizuka to his mother Emiya replied "Well then I guess I'll need to go get some new clothes after I empty some things from the shed."

"Of course, go right ahead. I'll be right here finalizing things with your parents." Amakasu said waving a hand toward the shed.

Motioning with his head for his friends to follow him, he led them to the shed which doubled as his workshop. Upon reaching the door, he put his palm flat on the door and ran prana through it causing it to glow blue slightly before fading. Turning to the others he said, "C'mon."

The others followed him inside the shed and once the door was closed behind them a blue magic circle appeared on the door before fading away. Causing Kenji to ask "Dude what was that?"

Walking deeper into his workshop, Emiya replied "Security, no one can enter this shed but me as they lack my unique magic signature. This place is also soundproof."

After saying this, he went to the benches he'd set up that had several objects hidden under white sheets. Snapping his fingers, the items under the sheets disappeared in a flash of golden light and golden motes. Leaving nothing but a flat surface and a leather journal, which sat next to a bin full of miscellaneous junk.

Sitting on a stool and opening the journal he flipped through it. It was a record of all of his research on the differences between his old world and this one, as well as Fusion Phantasms. In the weeks that followed since he had managed to successfully create the first one, he had discovered a set of rules regarding these combination weapons.

First, the two or more weapons being combined must either share similar history or bare similar characteristics'. (I.e., Gáe Bolg and Rule Breaker are both cursed weapons, and Excalibur and Caladbolg are 'Holy')

Second, two weapons that are completely diametrically opposed cannot be combined. (Ie, Excalibur and Clarent, for example, due to not only being used against one another in legend, but also due to one being Holy and the other Demonic.)

Third, Fusion Phantasms cannot be stored within the Blade Works, due to being combinations of legendary blades and not truly new weapons.

Lastly, Fusion Phantasms take longer to Trace, cost more Prana to be traced, and cost more prana for their abilities to be utilized, due to being combination weapons.

Tucking the journal into his waistband he turned to his friends and said "Well, it looks like Amakasu got us in the end huh?"

Huffing Kenji replied "Yeah sure looks like it man. So, we have to play by their rules then?"

"For now, but don't worry I've got you guy's back." The black-haired magus affirmed.

Smirking Kenji replied "And we have yours too dude, don't forget."

"Ano, maybe it won't be that bad?" Mariya said optimistically while Tarou nodded and Rui stayed quiet, thinking.

Kenji and Emiya looked at Yuri then looked at each other before saying dubiously "Doubtful."

Cracking his neck, Emiya hopped off the stool and headed for the door saying before glancing back and saying "You guy's ready for this?"

"Course we are," Kenji replied coming up on his left.

"Yeah, we can do this," Rui said from behind him on his left.

"I bet it'll be easy," Tarou said confidently next to Rui.

Coming to stand next to him on his right side, Yuri smiled at him saying "Lead the way Kusanagi-kun."

"Alright let's do this." He said leading the way back outside, ready to face whatever this so-called Committee could throw at them.

* * *

Not too surprisingly, Rui's, Kenji's, and Tarou's parent's let them go without incident after learning their sons had been accepted into some prestigious private school in the mountains. So, within hours, the five of them were packed and ready to take a spacious SUV on a three-hour ride to the Gunma mountains… there was just one problem…Shizuka didn't want him to leave, and neither did Hikari apparently.

"Onii-chan~ don't go!" Shizuka cried with tears in her eyes from her place next to her mother's side, not wanting him to leave her behind.

Hikari for her part, had tears in her eyes and a sour look on her face, as if she'd just sucked on a lemon. It was clear she was no less happy with the fact that her older sister and he were leaving than Shizuka was, she just wasn't being nearly as vocal about it.

Taking a deep breath, Emiya walked to the two of them and said "Now listen up you two. Mariya and I need to go, nothing is going to change that…but I can promise we'll come back."

Pulling some red string from the red shirt he was wearing he beckoned Yuri over before showing the thread to the two toddlers. Lightly tying the string around all of their left pinky fingers and saying "We promise to come back, but until then, you two are going to have to support each other ok?"

Yuri added her two cents "We'll be back soon enough, you'll see. Till then, promise to be good, ok you two?"

He watched as Shizuka and Hikari looked at each other nodded, before turning back to them and doing the same, seemingly finally grasping the gravity of the situation. He wished he could do more to give them some peace of mind, but he was short on time. However, it seemed to work as the two settled down, though they looked rather sullen. Ruffling both of their heads a little, he smiled at them and said "Be good, we'll be back for Christmas."

The two then made their way to the SUV where everyone else was already settled in. Getting into the back seat, the two settled in next to each other. Amakasu-san revved the engine and they were soon on their way to Gunma. Turning to him, she asked, "Do you think Shizuka and Hikari-chan are going to be ok?"

"They'll be okay." He replied. "I'm slightly more concerned about us. We're going into what amounts to the enemy controlled territory. They'll know the area and easily outnumber us. We need to be prepared."

"Y-You don't really think they would hurt us do you?" Yuri whispered to him.

Shaking his head, the former Counter Guardian replied "I don't know. But if it comes to violence leave it to me ok?"

"Right. But please don't do anything to provoke them Kusanagi-kun." Yuri pleaded.

"Yuri, when have I ever done such a thing?"

Seeing the deadpan look the chestnut haired shrine maiden was giving him, he just chuckled and said "Right. Well, I'm taking a nap wake me when we're there ok?"

He promptly closed his eyes and found himself on a barren hill of swords. Monolithic gears of wrought iron hung in a sky covered by smog, an infinite number of legendary swords impaled in the ground around him. Walking amongst his collection, he could see them staring at him mournfully out of the corner of his eye…those he failed the first time around...Sakura…Illya…Rin…His wife…he lost them all. He failed them all.

All he had left were imitations of steel, memories, and a firm resolve. To not fail anyone like that again. So he walked amongst his blades and he began planning for all manner of contingencies. Be it against a single warrior or an army, he would not fail again…he would not lose his friends to these people.

* * *

"Kusanagi-kun, Kusanagi-kun we're almost there," Yuri said while shaking him lightly.

Snapping his eyes open, he sat up from where he was leaning against the door and nodded. Looking out the window he found they were driving through a sparsely populated town. He didn't see phone lines or parks, the only thing of note was a small convenience store. They soon past the shop and drove up a road going further into the mountains. Ten or fifteen minutes later they came around the bend to find several buildings carved into the side of the mountain. The largest of them was ten stories tall with subsequent buildings being anywhere from nine to five stories high.

Pulling the SUV to a stop Amakasu-san said, "Welcome to Chichibu everyone." His eyes widened when he faced forward again as the current heads of the Four Families themselves as well as their heirs were waiting out front to greet them.

_'__Shit, this is bad. If Kusanagi sees them.'_ He thought.

"Oi, Amakasu, who are those people?" Godou asked him calmly.

Turning to face his young charge he said gravely "Those people Kusanagi-kun are the current heads and heirs of the Four Families. It would be wise if you showed them respect for they could make your life hell with but a gesture."

Glancing at Amakasu and then at the people standing in front of the building, Emiya quickly made up his mind. Unclipping his seatbelt, he said, "Wait here, I'm going to go have a chat with them."

He then gently opened the door and hopped out of the vehicle. The moment he hit the ground, he sent out a bounded field with the property of Structurally Grasping everything it came into contact with within a five hundred foot circumference before returning to him.

It gave him a headache when it came back to him, but he learned that the buildings were carved out of three-hundred-year-old stone two inches thick. That there were half a dozen snipers carefully hidden in the area that currently had him in their sights. And that one of the people over there had something incredibly powerful wrapped up in a sword bag, and finally another of his hosts seemed to be leaking copious amounts of od for some reason. Setting a bounded field around the SUV to keep it safe from fire, he walked forward calmly, with his hands in his pockets. All the while mentally loading and cocking the revolver in his mind.

Stopping a good twenty feet from them, he said, "I hear you're the people in charge. That true?"

A woman who looked to be in her early thirties with straight black hair kept in a formal bun wearing an ornate white silk kimono with various warding sigils woven into it with gold silk came forward. She said, "I am Seishuunin Ran, and head of the Seishuunin Family. And you are Kusanagi Godou correct?"

"I am, and I have to say, nice place you have here. But don't you think a sniper team to take out a ten year old is a bit much?"

He had to resist the urge to chuckle upon seeing the bug-eyed look the Heirs who were all a couple of years older than he was, were sporting.

Turning back to the woman who first spoke, Ran he thinks she said her name was, he said "If you'd like to call them off, we can talk like civilized people. Unless you'd rather send that girl and whatever is in her bag at me?" he asked.

Said girl upon closer inspection was the same age as him unlike the other heirs. She stepped forward with an air of child-like innocence about her saying "If that is what Kusanagi-san wants then Ena will fight him."

She was stopped by Ran who chastised "Ena-chan, that is no way to treat a guest who's just arrived."

Emiya then quipped "And having a sniper team on standby to blow my head off is?"

In response Ran nodded back to one of the other Heads, who muttered something their kimono. Turning back to him the Seishuunin Head replied "There, the snipers have been called off. Now perhaps you can tell us where you received those blades you used against Amakasu-san?"

Smirking Emiya replied "I found them a few years back."

Narrowing her eyes Ran Seishuunin hummed to herself in thought. Amakasu-san had called them and informed them of all the information he had on Kusanagi. From the swords he wielded, to his ability to increase his strength and speed, and most curiously, his seemingly unique ability to use magic without praying for the aid of a deity. Based upon what little they knew of him, there were only three possible choices on who his teacher was, and each was worse than the last.

The first choice was that his master was the Highest Witch of the Heavens, Alice Louise Goddodin. As her organization was known for accepting the bright and talented, and his parents were a well off investor and Social Advertiser. With both him and his parents working with the Witenagemot they would no doubt gain power rapidly. The second possible choice was Lucretia Zola, The Highest Ranked Witch on Earth. She was known to collect magical 'trinkets' such as grimoire's and other magical items. So it's quite possible he'd not only gained his weapons but also his knowledge of magic from her. The last possible choice however was not only the most frightening, but also the most plausible considering the weapons he used and the abilities he'd displayed thus far...

It was most likely that his master was none other than Lou Hao herself, and he was secretly a member of the Holy Cult of Five Mountains. If that was the case, and the Cult of Five Mountains were extending their influence to Japan, Ran was afraid there was nothing they could do as none could defy the will of a Campione. Still, she had to be sure. So she asked another question.

"Do the names Alice Louise Goddodin, Lucretia Zola, or Lou Hao mean anything to you Kusanagi-san?" Ran watched his face closely, looking for any sign of panic or recognition.

His face however, was a blank slate. Completely unreadable. Finally he deigned to answer saying "Hmm, I don't know if my master would want me revealing her name. She isn't someone you'd want to cross even on a good day."

Ran's insides froze. 'Is one of those three his teacher? Is it the Witenagemot, the Cult of Five Mountains, or has Lucretia Zola formed her own Magic Association in secret?'

Deciding to try a different tactic she made the boy a proposal. "Kusanagi-san, what would you say to a friendly spar with my granddaughter Ena?" Ran offered while motioning to the girl hold the sword bag.

She watched as he looked her up and down, sizing her up for a moment before shrugging and replying "Alright."

Ena then stepped forwards, and Emiya noted that unlike the other heirs' she was the same age as him. Unraveled her sword bag, she revealed a black taichi with brass accents that lay within. Unlimited Blade Works immediately tried to recreate the blade, and it did to a point. It copied its form, powers, and history. But he quickly realized Unlimited Blade Works would be able to only do so much as, not only was this a divine class weapon, but it was alive, actually sentient. Not like Caliburn, Gram, and other weapons that chose their wielder, but actually capable of thought and communication. He also knew its name: It was Ama no Tsurugi no Marakumo, the Grass Cutter, and one of the three imperial treasures of Japan.

No matter how hard he tried, he knew he couldn't copy the sentience in the blade. Still, he already had a few ideas on how to beat this girl and her divine sword, even as she squared off against him. Holding his arms outstretched at his sides, he said **_"Trace on."_**

His palms gripped Kanshou and Bakuya as they came into existence. A sudden gust of wind blew through the area, kicking up a small cloud of dust between them as it also messed up their hair. When the wind died down, Ena rushed forwards at incredible speed. Emiya sidestepped the first slash, then the second.

He was forced to block a stab at his chest with Bakuya, and he felt his entire arm shake from the impact. Turning on his heel, he swung at her with Kanshou, only for her to block the black falchion with her own blade, before being kicked in the stomach and forced back to where she started. It was just a short exchange, but he felt he had her measure now. He was just as strong and fast as Saber was with him as her master during the Fifth Heaven's Feel, provided she wasn't using her Prana Burst Skill. And so, taking that into account and the fact that she possessed a Divine weapon he put his plan to beat her into action.

Staring her down, he widened his already apparently flawed stance even further, baiting her to attack him…he wasn't disappointed. She came in hard and fast intending to stab him in the chest.

He smirked, that was exactly what he wanted. She saw his grin and tried to pull back, but it was far too late for that. Before she could move, the ground erupted around her revealing a golden chain buried in the earth. The chain wrapped around both the swordswoman and her blade like a serpent, coiling around her tightly and constricting her movement.

Emiya watched Ena struggle. At first she seemed confident, then that confidence slowly disappeared and a look of confusion set in. Finally, she stopped fighting and asked "What did you do to Ena, how did you cancel her Divine Possession from Grampsy through Marakumo?"

Dismissing Kanshou and Bakuya, he punched an enhanced fist into the earth and pulled up the other end of the chain. Holding it in his hand as he came forwards saying "Do, I just won obviously."

He then punched her 'lightly' on the chin, knocking her out. The only thing holding her upright was the golden chain binding her body. With a snap of his free hand, he dispelled the chain, allowing her to collapse in a heap. He was about to walk past her when he heard a voice. It was ancient and hard as iron. It asked him **_["How, how could a normal human not only contain so much Steel, but also possess an artifact capable of stopping me, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi?"]_**

Glancing down at the Tachi, which lay flat on the earth, he replied "Because, I too am Steel. I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire my blood." He told it, quoting the first two lines of his personal aria.

The blade was quiet for a time before it said **_["I see, I shall be watching you mortal. You are interesting."]_**

Giving the downed blade a respectful nod, he turned towards the still conscience members of the Four Families and said "Now, any questions?"

A red-head a few years older than him, likely in middle school at the moment, asked, "How did you beat Ena, what was that chain?"

Emiya discreetly sniffed the air for a moment before shooting back, "Why is a girl dressing in boy's clothes?"

She blinked in surprise before laughing and asking "How could you tell, most people can't."

Smirking he tapped his nose and replied "I could smell the blood. That time of the month huh?"

The red-head immediately blushed, and the older man in his early fifties leaned down and whispered into her ear, causing her to nod, and excuse herself, rapidly heading into the building. After she had left, Emiya said, "And then there were six. I'm just going to say this before any more of you disappear…if anything happens to my friends while there here, I'll kill all of you."

A studious looking blonde-haired boy wearing a light gray three-piece suit who reminded him very much of Issei took a non-threatening step forwards and said "Your friends will not be harmed Kusanagi-san. Like all of them, sans Yuri-san and yourself shall be working under me, Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko directly. You have my personal guarantee of that none of them will come to harm."

Emiya didn't know why, maybe it was because this boy reminded him of Issei, but he decided to trust his word. So he nodded and said "I'll keep you to it."

"This is utterly ridiculous!"

Emiya turned to see the girl who was always leaking od, a blonde-haired girl with amber eyes that was short and wearing one of those French caps on her head along with a dress. Locking eyes with her and raising an eyebrow Emiya replied "Oh, is it now?"

"Fuyuhime." The man next to her said warningly. From the way he said it, he could tell such a warning had been given many a time, meaning the girl in front of him had a hair-trigger temper.

"Grandfather, please forgive my breach of protocol, but this is utterly ridiculous! We are being attacked, insulted, and threatened by some no name hedge-mage! Are we not the four greatest families in Japan? Do we not deserve a certain amount of respect?"

The sound of laughter could be heard. They all turned to look at Kusanagi, who was wiping away a faux tear from his eye. Smirking at Fuyuhime he said, "Let me give you a bit of advice girl. Don't think you deserve people's respect just because of your name. If you want their respect, go out and earn it."

Scowling Fuyuhime retorted "How dare you speak to me as an equal you filthy commoner."

Maybe it was because this girl reminded himself too much of the Lords at the Clocktower in his original universe. But he soon found himself scowling as well and saying "I wouldn't act so high and mighty if I were you. Seeing as you can't even control the amount of life-force leaving your body at the moment."

Fuyuhime jerked as if she had just been struck. She then paled and looked at him in horror before asking "H-How?"

"How did I know?" he guessed. Seeing her nod he said, "I could tell from the moment I saw you, it was blatantly obvious to someone like me."

Fuyuhime winced. _'My condition was obvious to this hedge-mage? So does that mean he's encountered it before, and if so, does he know a cure?'_

She was about to ask him just that when he shrugged and said "And here I was about to offer to fix your problem for you, but then you went and opened that rude mouth of yours. Now I don't think I will. In fact, I've got half a mind to take my friends and go home now."

Having a solution to her condition being dangled in front of her only for it to be snatched away made Fuyuhime do something desperate. She pointed a finger at him and said shakily "Y-You can't leave! We own you!"

Lowering his head and shaking it, the former Counter Guardian replied "That's where you're wrong. I'm willing to bet that Ena was your strongest warrior, yet I beat her easily." He walked closer to Fuyuhime and said in a dangerous whisper "As such, you have been tried, measured, and been found wanting."

Turning around, his voice returned to normal levels as he said "So I have no reason to stay here. You can't stop me, you can't beat me, and you can only do so much to hamper my parents financially before it becomes suspicious or annoying and I decide to do something about it. So this is-"

"Wait Kusanagi-san!" He turned to find the old man who had failed to warn Fuyuhime earlier walking up to him.

"Grandfather? What are you-" Fuyuhime gasped as in all her years, she had known her Grandfather, Renjou Ōkami, he had been a stiff, harsh man in public, yet loving towards his family. Her father once compared him to an unyielding wolf. One who lived to protect his pack. So to see him bow fully at the waist to someone who wasn't even a third his age shocked her.

"Please Kusanagi-san, help my granddaughter." He said facing the ground.

Now he was conflicted. On the one hand, his want to help people was acting up. Part of him, the part that couldn't deny heroes, didn't wish to leave the girl or her grandfather in the lurch. But the embittered part of him wanted nothing to do with these people, as they could be a danger to his friends.

Finally, he sighed and said "Fine, fine just stand up before you throw your hip out old man. I don't need that on my conscience."

Taking the joke for what it was, the Renjou head bowed deeper in both respect and thanks before straightening and stepping back.

Locking eyes with an embarrassed Fuyuhime, he said, "You are very lucky I don't want a hurt old man on my mind girl." He then got into her personal space and took her hand before she could say anything and said "Hush, I need to double check something. **Trace on."**

He structurally analyzed her, going deep. Past her flesh, nerves, organs, and bones, until he reached her very soul where he thought the problem lay. Sure enough, there they were fifty in all, and all of them inactive.

Letting go of her hand, he said, "It's as I thought. I can fix the problem quickly enough. I just need to complete an energy transfer ritual is all."

With a light haze of pink on her cheeks, Fuyuhime blinked owlishly before asking "Y-You need to transfer energy into me?"

"Yeah, but I only know of two ways of doing it. One neither of us are old enough for so it'll have to be the other one."

Nervously clearing her throat Fuyuhime asked, "What might that be?"

Rubbing the back of his head nervously he replied "You'll have to drink my blood."

A blatant look of distaste crossed the drill-haired girls face and asked "Isn't there any other way? What about the first one? Why can't we do that?"

Smirking he replied "Because I think we're both too young for sex." He shrugged and said "But if you wanna try a tantric ritual I'm all for it."

Her face the color of a tomato, the Renjou heiress stuttered out "N-No, that's ok."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught the two's attention. Turning, both of them found Ran Seishuunin staring at them supporting a weak-kneed but awake Ena on her shoulder. She said, "If all that is required is an energy transfer, then I would suggest a kiss. But not here, let's get your friends and head inside first."

Emiya's eyes widened, he'd forgotten to lower the bounded field after taking down the snipers. Sheepishly doing so with but a thought, he soon heard several pairs of feet running his way.

"Kusanagi-kun! I asked you not to antagonize them!" Yuri said reaching him first.

"Yeah, but I never promised I would, now did I?" he retorted.

Yuri opened her mouth to refute him only to hear a familiar voice say "Ena is happy to see Yuri again."

Turning on her heel, Yuri found her childhood friend Ena being supported by her grandmother Ran. "Ena what are you doing here? What do you have to do with any of this?"

"Ena has much to tell her friend Yuri, but perhaps we could go inside first? Surely Yuri and her friends must be tired from such a long journey," the raven-haired Hime-Miko offered.

Yuri, looking very confused could merely nod as she was herded into the largest of the stone buildings.

They were all allowed to freshen up and were then escorted to an ornate room that all of the other people from earlier were already seated around. Taking an empty pillow next to Ena she faced her and asked "Ena-chan, what's going on?"

"Ena's family is one of the Four Families, one of the four families that runs the History Complication Committee." The raven-haired beauty told her friend.

Frowning, Yuri asked sounding hurt, "So all this time, you were only my friend because you thought I was a Hime-Miko?"

Ena shook her head frowning a bit herself. "Yuri knows Ena better than that. Ena befriended Yuri because she wished to be her friend, nothing more or less."

"Promise?" Yuri asked.

Ena smiled nodding "Ena promises."

Yuri then noticed that Kusanagi-kun and some blonde-haired girl were standing in the middle of the room. Looking to Ena she whispered "What's going on?"

"Kusanagi-san is doing an energy transfer on Fuyu-chan. He says it'll let her learn magic." Ena replied.

"Energy transfer…but doesn't that mean they'll need to k-kiss?" she asked sadly.

Glancing at her friend curiously Ena noted she was suddenly sitting rather rigidly roughly gripping her kimono in her lap with a hurt look on her face.

"Does-does Yuri like Kusanagi-san?" Ena asked tentatively.

Yuri opened her mouth to vehemently deny it, only to whisper "I don't know Ena-chan."

In response, Ena took her friend's hand in her own, offering her all her support as she was about to be forced to watch the boy she liked kiss someone else.

Emiya looked at Fuyuhime and asked "Are you ready?"

Looking away nervously she asked, "Why must so many people be present for this?"

"In case something goes wrong I suppose. Now I must warn you, once I fix your problem your feel incredibly hot and weak. Whatever happens, don't fall asleep ok?"

Swallowing and licking her lips nervously Fuyuhime nodded saying "You'd b-better be grateful, this is my first kiss you know!"

"Heh, mine too." He had said before he captured her lips, surprising her.

In order for the energy transfer to be effective, bodily fluids needed to be exchanged. Which means he needed to French kiss her. Her eyes widened as she felt his tongue enter her mouth. Seeing as this was her first kiss, he wanted her to enjoy it, so he gently put his arms around her thin waist, both to comfort and support her once her magic circuits turned on. That ended up being a good decision as he felt her knees soon grow weak and she grabbed onto the back of his head to keep herself upright, inadvertently deepening the kiss.

Fuyuhime felt as if her body was on fire! Every nerve was electrified and hypersensitive. His tongue sent little jolts down her spine. His strong arms wrapped around her slender frame, preventing her from falling over. She could feel her heart thrumming in her ears, her whole body felt flush and weak as she tried to keep upright by hanging onto his head but only deepened the kiss further. Finally after what seemed like an eternity of fire, pain, and bliss, she felt him lower her to the ground. Breaking the kiss and leaving only a small trail of saliva connecting their mouths.

Huffing she asked short of breath "I-Is it over? Did it work?"

"Yeah." He replied with a nod.

"Good." She then grabbed him by his shirt collar and kissed him again briefer but with no less intensity than before.

Upon pulling back, he said with a smirk, "The ritual is over you know? You don't need to kiss this filthy commoner again."

"I know, and that was just because I wanted to-to thank you. Now, I won't lose to the others anymore or feel inadequate anymore…all thanks…to you…" she said before drifting off to sleep with a contented smile on her face.

Turning to the shocked assembly of magi and mundane people he asked "So, now what?"

* * *

**Chapter length: 17,897 words – Date Completed: 5/13/15**

* * *

**AN: Oh YEAAH! I completed this chapter more than a week ahead of schedule! That said I just want to cover a couple of things**

**#1: I got a second beta. He goes by William Wiltrose. (Give him a hello everyone) I figure between myself, a grammar checking computer program, Diller, and now William there is no way in hell this fic could have spelling errors. And if it still does? Fuck it, we did the best we could!**

**#2: The review turnout for the first chapter alone blew my friggin' mind! 111 reviews for the intro chap? That's crazy…can we do that again? "May I have some more, please sirs/madams' may I have some more?" Sorry, couldn't resist the reference. Ya'll rock! Thank you all so much.**

**#3: I'm sure some of you are wondering when Emiya is going to become a Campione…Chapter after next is the plan, but no plan survives contact with the enemy so we'll see ok?**

**#4: I have a forum set up to discuss this fic if you all want to use it. It bears the same name as this fic and is found under the Campione section.**

**#5: I went back and aged everyone up to stop all the complaints and in doing so, had to edit several scenes, I WILL NOT be doing something like this again as it takes away too much time from me working on the next chapter. So from now on, you'll all will have to live with the choices I make. In closing, I hope you enjoyed this chap and I'll see you all again in three weeks. Till then, Bubbajack, Diller, and William Wiltrose out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Youngest Campione**

**By Bubbajack**

**Betas: Diller/Grammarly/William Wiltrose**

**A brief note before we begin, I changed everyone's ages and the ending of the last chapter since that seemed to get more bad press than Watergate. Emiya and co are now ten years old as of last chapter. So, I suggest you go back and read the last bit before you read this. That said let's get on with it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Campione or FSN**

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**Ch.3: Friends, Fiends, and Check.**

* * *

The six months had been a blur to the former Counter Guardian. After the initial encounter with the Four Families, and the awakening of Fuyuhime's magic circuits, Emiya had no other choice then to teach her how to use them. This meant divulging information about how he used magic to her. At first the blonde-haired girl was quite skeptical.

He remembered the first training session the two had. It took place in Fuyuhime's room in Chichibu. The room was for the most part Spartan except for a lavish wooden cabinet in which sat ancient China from the Han Dynasty.

"Self-Hypnosis? You hypnotize yourself into thinking something is possible and then using...od in these magic circuits, you make it possible? You don't pray to an actual deity to enact a miracle?" she asked dubiously.

It was his first day on the job as her unofficial teacher, however due to their age difference he requested that she not call him sensei. He settled for just Kusanagi-san instead.

Nodding, he told her "That's correct, but there are similarities' in the ways you used to do things. Just like how you must show faith in whatever deity you pray to, to grant a miracle, so too must you believe that the words you use to hypnotize yourself will have the intended effect."

Seeing she didn't get it he tried again "Just as prayers must reach the gods so too must the aria you use make sense in your mind to have the intended effect. For example, if you wanted to do a fire spell you could say anything from burn to ignus, to kasai."

Comprehension dawned in the Renjou heiresses' eyes as she said "Oh, I get it."

Glad she understood he continued "Yes, but before we get into all that, you need to practice turning your magic circuits on and off. This is done by imagining a particular image in one's mind."

Understanding the concept Fuyuhime inquired "Is there anything in particular I should use?"

Emiya shrugged and told his pupil "It should be something that evokes a reaction out of you, like a memory or something that angers or frightens you. For me, it's the image of a revolver being cocked. Go ahead and try it."

Fuyuhime didn't even need to think of what her mental image would be. The memory of him kissing her flashed into her minds' eye and she felt something akin to a switch being flipped as her magic circuits thrummed to life. She could feel the power in each one, it was like live electrical wires were now active in her own body.

"I did it Kusanagi-san." She told him.

As a reward for her achievement she had received a smile, which caused her insides to practically melt before he said "Good, this is going much better than when I first started out."

Curious, she asked "Why, what happened?"

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he replied "Instead of turning my magic circuits on and off, I was converting my nerves into magic circuits every time I wanted to use magic. It hurt like hell every time I did it. Like a hot iron being shoved into my spine. Thankfully, master caught it before it ended up killing or crippling me for life."

Gulping in fear Fuyuhime asked, "You could've died?"

Nodding gravely he told her something the Old Man told him "Oh yes. For you see Fuyuhime, you now walk a dangerous path. For to be a magus is to walk with death. Should you mess up on a spell you can die if you miscalculate a ritual you could die, overtax your magic circuits, and you'll be cooked alive from the inside out. To be a magus and to learn to use magic the way I do is to know you could die any minute but having the courage to proceed anyway. This is why, if you feel too afraid to continue, I suggest you back out now. Your condition is fixed, there is no need for you to continue after all." He finished.

He watched the drill-haired girl shudder in fear for a moment, looking down in contemplation. While it was not his intention to scare her, he wasn't going to sugar-coat things for her either. To be a magus was difficult and trying, and if she weren't cut out for it, she should stop before she becomes grievously injured. Yet, much to his surprise, when she looked back up, there was the onlook of fear on her face, but one of firm resolve.

Straightening, she replied firmly "I am Renjou Fuyuhime! One of the heirs of the Four Families, the most ancient and powerful magic families in Japan! I am not afraid!"

Emiya was more than happy to hear this, as that was the kind of determination and drive necessary to be magi and most importantly not die even if one should be killed. "You're determined. Good, you'll need all the determination you can muster. I need to warn you though, I am only a master of the absolute basics of this brand of magic. So I can build your foundation, but from there, you're on your own."

"That's fine. So, what's first?" Fuyuhime asked in a serious tone.

Stroking a nonexistent beard in thought for a moment, Emiya got up and went about making himself and his newly minted apprentice a pot of tea. After he had been finished, he went to a nearby wooden cabinet that held ancient antique china and poured two cups full. Returning, he set one cup in front of his apprentice and sipped at the other himself. Accepting the drink with a curious look on her face, the Renjou heiress sipped at her tea. Much to her surprise and delight, she found it tasted much better than usual. A few minutes passed in silence until finally, both had drained the bottom of their cups.

"Good you do have patience, being hasty can get you killed." He told her.

Becoming offended, Fuyuhime narrowed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in anger before saying "Are you saying I have a short temper?!"

"Yes, and little patience to boot, which when practicing magic this way will get you killed." He told her in a dead serious tone, causing her anger to deflate.

Seeing he had her full attention, he said, "Now then, on to today's lesson. Reinforcement one-oh-one."

Picking up his tea cup he said "Trace on." Before asking the blonde "Do you notice anything different about this cup?"

She squinted at it with her green eyes for a moment, before shaking her head. Then, without warning he threw the fragile piece of porcelain into the wall…the wall ended up with a cup-sized dent in it from where the reinforced projectile had impacted. Fuyuhime looked at the cup, then the dent in the wall, then at the boy four years her junior and asked "What did you do?"

Smirking he replied "Exactly as it says on the tin, I reinforced the cup using magecraft. By filling in the microscopic cracks with od, you can make something harder than it has any right to be. It can be used on other things too. Such as food to make it more nutritious, and I once heard of a crazy Irishman, who used it for beer."

Raising an eyebrow she asked, "On beer?"

"Yes, the beer itself still tasted like crap, but the buzz you received from it was unbelievable, or so I've heard." He told her before continuing on with his lesson.

Taking her empty cup in hand he said, "You've seen what reinforcement can do, now you'll see what happens if you get it wrong."

For a moment nothing happened, and then, the cup suddenly shattered into so many pieces. All on its own accord. Looking at the small pieces of jagged porcelain that now littered her floor, Fuyuhime looked back to her teacher with a questioning gaze.

"If you enforce an object too much, you'll break it. This is because you've packed too much prana into too small a space. Now imagine that happening to a person who tried to reinforce their body and failed."

The drill-haired heiress winced at the thought of flesh being rent asunder, bones snapping like twigs, blood vessels and organs bursting…It was not a pretty mental image, but it was one that drove home the idea that to practice magic this way was exceedingly dangerous. That one misstep could kill her.

She was brought out of her morbid thoughts by Kusanagi, who said "Your homework is to reinforce a teacup perfectly. Do it without breaking it by either over enforcing it or having it shatter when you throw it against the wall to test if you've done it right. Once you've proven to me, you can do this, we'll move on to other more difficult things. Alright?"

"Yes, Kusanagi-san." She replied.

He then got up stopping in front of the doorway and saying "Although I can't force you, I'd like it if what I taught you here remained between the two of us."

Frowning Fuyuhime got up and sauntered over to him before flicking him in the forehead saying "You worry too much."

She then kissed him in the exact same spot before opening the door and pushing him through it, shutting it behind him.

All he could think in the end was _'What was that about? Am I dealing with yet another Rin?'_

* * *

Two months passed, and he watched silently as Fuyuhime slowly progressed in her training. At first, she added far too much prana and the teacups shattered in her hands. A dozen was lost that way. Then, she didn't add enough prana, and they broke when they hit the wall. Ten more pieces of porcelain were lost. Finally with only two teacups from her original set of two dozens remaining, she managed to get it right.

Clapping his hands at her success, he said, "Good job, I think you're ready for me to teach you your next spell now."

"What is it?" Fuyuhime asked curiously.

Clearing his throat, he told her "It's called Structural Grasping, it allows you to see a blueprint of something in your mind."

_'__Three, two, one.'_ Emiya counted down in his head.

Fuyuhime blinked for a moment before narrowing her eyes and shouting "Eh, why didn't you teach me that in the first place?!"

"Because, it would have made everything far too easy for you." He explained before continuing "Now that you have the basics of reinforcing down you can work on speed using reinforcement. Think of it like learning martial arts, first you learn the form then you work on speed."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Fuyuhime nodded, seeing his logic. "So now I work on speed?"

Nodding in turn, Emiya told his apprentice, "Yes, and once you can perfectly reinforce a cup within the span of a couple of seconds we'll move onto other things, bamboo probably."

But, just because he was focusing on training Fuyuhime, didn't mean he was neglecting his friends or failing to get to know the other heirs. Since her defeat at his hands, Seishuunin Ena wanted to get to know him better, citing _'You're so strong.'_

So they struck up an odd friendship where they would spar whenever they had a free moment. Wanting to keep his abilities hidden, for the most part, he stuck to using Kanshou and Bakuya. When they broke and reformed during their fights, he merely told her it was one of the swords special abilities. Due to limiting himself only to the married twin swords, and not wanting to 'cheat' by using Enkidu, he lost against her more often than not. He didn't mind too much as he treated it as practice against an overly strong opponent under less than favorable conditions.

Then, one day, after one of the spars he actually managed to win. They were both on the training grounds within Chichibu, a dark flat cave deep in the mountain that reminded him uncomfortably of the resting place of the Greater Grail. It was even kept lit by eerie motes of light. Perhaps it was due to his surroundings that he thought of his old Servant. More specifically, one of her Noble Phantasms.

He knew thanks to the Blade Works that Ama no Tsurugi was a sword that could manipulate the wind. With that thought in mind, he decided to try and teach her something. He just needed to think of a way to broach the topic.

"Oi, Ena." He called getting her attention.

The Japanese beauty looked over to him curiously and asked "Yes Kusanagi-san, what can Ena do for you?"

Throwing caution to the wind for once he asked, "That sword of yours is one of the divine regalia of Japan isn't it?"

Her eyes had widened in surprise for a moment before she nodded in confirmation, citing "Yes, Ena's sword is Ama no Tsurugi no Murakumo. Ena was given it by her Grampsy Susanoo so as to use her Divine Possession. How did Kusanagi-san know?"

Nodding at the blade she still held in her hands he replied "He talked to me. Ama no Tsurugi I mean."

A surprised look crossed the Hime-Miko of the sword's features and she asked "Really?"

"Yeah. So, besides talking and acting as a conduit, is he capable of doing anything else?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Giving him a warm childlike smile the Seishuunin heiress replied "Yes, Ama can control the wind."

_'__Good, she's brought up the topic. Now, to just steer it in the proper direction.'_ He thought.

"I see, and how do you usually use those wind abilities?" he asked.

That ever-present smile still on her face, Ena replied "Ena doesn't, she just uses Ama as a sword."

Resisting the urge to groan, Emiya said, "Ena-san, you mean to tell me that you have a sword that can manipulate the wind and you haven't been taking advantage of that fact? You might as well be using an ordinary sword then if you're not going to be taking advantage of all the benefits Ama no Tsurugi can offer you."

**_"_****_[Finally, someone speaks sense!]" _**The voice of the sword itself chimed in.

"Ah, Ama no Tsurugi-san, I didn't realize you were listening, how are you?" Emiya asked politely, showing proper respect to the sentient divine object.

**_"_****_[You may refer to me as Murakumo-sama, mortal.]"_** The sword groused. Then, with all the pride a sentient sword could muster, it all but demanded, **_"[Now, take me in hand and show this foolish girl what I, Ama no Tsurugi no Murakumo, am actually capable of!]"_**

"Fine, fine," Emiya said holding out a hand for the blade which Ena gave up Ama no Tsurugi with a curious look on her face, wonder what he was going to do.

Entering what he would like to call 'Modified Tohsaka Rin Pose #1.' It was modified as, while Rin's lecture poses worked for her if he tried to do such poses, people may question his sexual orientation. Modified Rin Tohsaka Rin Pose #1 consisted of him straightening his back, spreading his legs slightly, crossing his arms behind his back, and giving the subject of the lecture (Ena) a stern look. The effect was immediate, Ena stood ramrod straight and had a nervous look on her face, as if she was being evaluated, or waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tapping the flat of Ama no Tsurugi in his free palm behind his back, he telepathically asked the sword '_How exactly do you work Murakumo-san? Do I give you energy and you manipulate the wind or do I manage the wind using you as a catalyst?'_

**_["It is the latter boy. You control the wind using your thoughts', using my auspicious self as a catalyst."]_** Ama no Tsurugi replied.

_'__Alright then, this should go smoothly.'_ He thought to himself. Focusing on Ena he said, "Using Ama no Tsurugi's wind abilities are rather simple. All you need to do is feed it energy and then direct the wind in whatever way you wish to use it. For example."

Emiya then fed od to the imperial regalia and the wind picked up around the blade, being drawn towards the blade itself instead of forced outwards. Seconds later he presented Ama no Tsurugi to the Hime-Miko of the Sword. She blinked in surprise and asked "Kusanagi-san, what did you do to Ama no Tsurugi, where did it go?"

Ena ask for she could no longer see the legendary blade. Emiya smirked, he had successfully recreated Saber's Invisible Air. However had Ena looked closer, she would've been able to notice a blade shaped distortion in the air, very, very hard to spot, but still ever so slightly noticeable. Curious to see if he could pull off the full capabilities of Invisible Air, he said to Ena "You might want to stand over there."

After making sure the Seishuunin heiress was standing off to the side, he unleashed the typhoon of the wind he collected around the sword. The gale burst forth, roaring like an enraged beast and destroying all in its path. Because he had the blade of Ama no Tsurugi pointed behind him at the time, he was shot forwards like a bullet from a gun. The former Counter Guardian felt his bones jar and shake in protest. Despite the fact that they were reinforced to be nine times stronger than a normal humans, that was the most could enhance himself at his current age without the risk of self-harm.

As he jettisoned across the cavern, he realized he quickly needed to learn how to stop as he was about to impact with a solid wall of stone.

_'__Shit, shit, shit!'_ Emiya thought to himself. He knew digging his heels into the stone wouldn't do anything, he was moving far too quickly. He did have one option, but it was a crapshoot and he knew it.

Still better a crapshoot than one-hundred percent assuredly ending up dead. So, moments before he impacted the wall Ena saw a dust cLuod form. Concerned, she used [Leap] to rush over to his location. What she found surprised her. There was a human sized circular crater in the wall, but a bleeding Kusanagi Godou wasn't in the middle of it. Instead, he was standing bent over, breathing heavily a few feet from the hole in the wall itself.

Making her way over to him Ena asked, "Is Kusanagi-san alright?"

Nodding as if he were in pain he replied "Yeah, I think I bruised a few ribs but other than that, I'm good."

"Ena is curious, what did Kusanagi-san do to stop from becoming a smear on the wall?" the priestess of the sword asked with a tilt of her head.

"I created a makeshift airbag by sending out a gust of wind seconds before I would've hit the wall. It stopped me from dying, but I still think I bruised a couple of ribs." He told her candidly.

Suddenly a Luod **_*CRACK*_** was heard. Looking towards the source of the noise, Emiya found the 'airbag' he created had sent a tremor through the wall. A tremor had found a fault in the stone, which in turn had created a crack that was now racing up the wall towards the ceiling. It was mere seconds from collapsing the cavern they were in and bringing several tons of earth and rocks down on their heads.

Maybe it was because he had been thinking of Saber, or perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was recreating one of her Noble Phantasms. Regardless of the reason, Emiya held the Taichi aloft. As he did wind slowly gathered around the blade, condensing into a sphere of contained black wind on the point of the sword. As he swung the sword down, he called out its name. Unleashing its pent up power.

"Ama no-TSURUGI!" he shouted.

A drill of black wind shot forth as he called the name of the blade, swinging the sword down as he did. The hurricane of power he released was powerful enough to grind clean through the rock, pummeling it to absolute dust. When the dust finally cleared, both Ena and Emiya were shocked to find that not only attack destroyed the rock that was about to crush them, it had also drilled a five-meter wide diagonal hole clean through the mountain.

Turning to the Hime-Miko of the Sword Emiya asked, "So, you think they'll notice the hole?"

* * *

It was three weeks after what was being called 'The Black Hurricane Incident' and Fuyuhime had already mastered Reinforcement at a rapid pace. Due to this, Emiya felt that Fuyuhime had learned all he was willing to teach her. Thus, he felt she was ready for her final lesson, which would also act as a 'graduation gift' of sorts. However, to teach his student this last lesson he needed a bit of help. This is why he was searching the halls of the Chichibu for Yuri Mariya. As he stalked the halls, he realized he hadn't seen Mariya much of late.

_'__Has she been avoiding me, did I do something to offend her?' _he wondered.

He was so lost in thought that as he turned the corner, he bumped into someone. He reached out and caught the person on instinct. Upon getting a good look at the person he'd bumped into, he found it was none other than the very girl he was looking for, Mariya Yuri herself. Looking her over, she seemed rather flustered. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and puffy, and there were streaks running down her cheeks as if she'd been crying recently.

Frowning slightly, Emiya asked, "Yuri, is everything ok?"

"Y-Yes, Kusanagi-san, I'm all right why do you ask?" Yuri stuttered out while hurriedly wiping her face, and smiling at him before asking cheerily "Do you need something?"

The frown stuck on his face for a moment before he shook it away and said "Yes actually, I need your help with something."

Yuri brightened immediately asking eagerly "Yes, what is it you needed Kusanagi-san?"

He was curious as to why she was so peppy all of the sudden but put that aside for later and said to her, "I need you to help me with the last phase of Fuyuhime's training. It will be exceedingly dangerous for me, and without your help, I don't know if I can pull this off and keep my sanity intact." He told her, not bothering to mince words.

He watched as a myriad of emotions crossed Mariya's face. First sadness, then concern, then joy briefly, before going back to, and staying on, concern. Though this time, it was much more prominent. "Just what exactly are you planning on doing that is so dangerous?" she asked, worry for him flecked in her tone and blatantly obvious on her face.

Emiya looked up and down the hall in suspicion before saying in hushed tones "Is your room nearby? It's not safe to talk about this here in a hallway."

Seeing the gravity of the situation, Yuri nodded and said "It's right over here, come on."

Upon entering her room, he immediately Structurally Analyzed it for bugs. Surprisingly, he found none. He then looked around the room itself. It was quaint and homey with a window seat, some chairs set around a tea table, and it had a four-poster bed along with dressers made of mahogany. All in all, it reminded him of Rin's room back in his home universe.

After taking in the room, he remarked absentmindedly "Nice place."

"Thanks, I think Ena pulled a few strings for me. But what is it you're planning Kusanagi-san?" Yuri said bringing the conversation back on track.

Clearing his throat, the former Counter Guardian elaborated "Right, it's like this Yuri. The way magic works as I use it is that, at birth, one is given something called an Origin at birth. It is the starting point that defines one's existence and even if it is unknown, directs their actions throughout their lifetime. Once someone becomes aware of their Origin, it will have an even greater effect on them."

Taking a moment for her to digest that he continued "Everyone also has an Elemental Affinity, meaning they can cast certain elemental based spells with less difficulty than others. Do you understand everything I've told you so far?"

Yuri blinked owlishly for a moment, mouth slightly agape before she slowly nodded. "I understand Kusanagi-san. You want to awaken Fuyuhime-san to her Element and Origin, but why do you need my help?" she asked.

"I'm getting to that. You see. Usually, one has to be close to death to discover their Origin. However, with the help of my master, I found another way of awakening one's Origin, but it's dangerous for me to use without assistance. If I don't have an anchor, someone to draw me back to myself, I could become lost and confuse her memories with my own. This could lead to an identity crisis and possibly psychosis. And I'd really rather not think of myself as a girl, no offense." He added with a slight smirk at the end.

"None taken." She replied, having become used to his jokes over the years before asking "So you need me to act as this 'anchor' for you? Why me, why not one of the boy's?"

"That's easy." He replied. "It's because though they are my friends, I trust you more than them. If I asked them to do this, there is a chance they could get distracted. But I have absolute faith in your abilities. I know you can do this Yuri."

Looking away from him so he wouldn't see her blush, Yuri stuttered out "K-Kusanagi-san, I-I don't know what to say."

"Well, you could say you'll help me?" He offered with a chuckle in his voice.

Turning back around to see him smirking amusedly at her she hurriedly replied "O-Of course! When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as you're ready. I'd like to do this before anyone could possibly interrupt." He replied.

Nodding, Yuri replied "Alright, let's go then." Yuri said with a smile on her face.

Emiya honestly didn't know what he did to make her so happy. But, he considered it an improvement over her avoiding him, so he decided not to question it. Content to be back in his best friends' good graces.

* * *

When they arrived in his room, he was happy to find Fuyuhime already waiting. The girl may have a bit of a short temper, but she was punctual. She smiled warmly upon seeing him only to raise an eyebrow in confusion when she saw Yuri enter the room behind him. Turning to him, she asked "Kusanagi-san, what is Mariya-san doing here?"

Putting on her best fake smile, Yuri replied "Renjou-sama, Kusanagi-san asked me to be here because he needed my help with today's lesson. I hope my presence here won't be…distracting."

Narrowing her eyes slightly the Renjou heiress replied evenly "No, no of course not."

Emiya noticed the tension between the two, and he couldn't help but be reminded of Rin and Sakura's first meeting at his house when he fought through the Fifth Heaven's Feel. Rin was passive aggressive and Sakura was falsely polite just like now. Upon seeing how the girls were acting all he could do was rationalize, _'Their just children, and it's probably just a childhood crush. Besides, they don't really know me or all the horrible things I've done. In any case, I'll sort this out later. There's work to be done now.'_

Clearing his throat, he broke their impromptu staring contest and said to his apprentice "Yuri is correct Fuyuhime, she's here to assist me today. Today, you graduate more or less, and in honor of that I'm going to give you a graduation gift."

"Graduation gift?" the blonde asked curiously.

Nodding Emiya said, "Yes, you'll come into your own as a magi with this and will be able to develop your own spells and skills. From here on out, you'll be on your own. Are you ready?"

A look of determination had settled on the Renjou heiresses' features before she nodded silently, once.

Seeing the look of determination on her face, Emiya nodded and said "Right, let's begin."

"Ano, Kusanagi-san, what exactly am I supposed to be doing?" Yuri asked confusedly.

"Just keep your hand on my shoulder, and if I start to spasm or show signs of being in pain, start calling my name."

"Ok," Yuri replied, placing a hand on his right shoulder.

Becoming concerned herself Fuyuhime asked "Wait, what exactly are you-" She was cut off by her teacher who said "Don't worry about it. We've got it handled. Just give me your hand and focus on relaxing ok?"

Taking comfort in the reassurance in his eyes, Fuyuhime took a deep calming breath, letting it out, she handed her master her hand. Taking it, he said, "Everything is going to be fine, don't worry…**_Trace on."_** He intoned.

Once again, using Structural Analysis he delved deep, past flesh and bone, organs and nerves, and into Fuyuhime's very soul. There, he found her magic circuits, but he needed to go even deeper this time, he needed to go back. Back to the very beginning. So he went even deeper, delving into her memories starting with the most recent and working backward.

He saw the past few months of training from her perspective, but more than that, he felt what she felt. Every time he smirked at her she practically melted when he encouraged her, she appreciated it so much. He soon figured out she had a crush on him, and he was flattered. Yet, he couldn't help but think _'Does that make her a pedophile?'_

He soon found out why she was so enamored with him. Before he'd shown up, many in her family had been pushing for her to be replaced with someone who was not leaking od for unknown reasons. Because she was always leaking life-force, she had a hard time utilizing even the simplest of Hime-Miko abilities. She was mocked behind her back by her own family. The only thing keeping her from being supplanted by someone else was the fact that she was the granddaughter of the current head's only child. Her Grandfather, despite his gruffness, was not one to abandon family no matter what.

Finally, he'd made it past most of her memories, he was nearing her Origin, as her memories were becoming vaguer and indistinct. Finally, he was met with three images. That of a key turning on a car. That of a lighter being flicked open, and that of a pylon activating. He knew that the first told of her Origin and that the other two pointed at dual elements while reinforcing what her Origin actually was.

Now came the hard part, he had to force his way back through her memories and out of her mind. It was more difficult getting out because going in was like following a river while getting out was like swimming against the current. It was much more difficult. Still, Emiya was never known for taking the easy path in anything, so he began a long, arduous climb 'upstream' through Fuyuhime's memories.

As he reached images of a blonde haired ten-year-old he began to think '_Why am I doing this, why do I continue to struggle? What am I fighting against? What am I fighting for?'_

"Kusanagi-san." An angelically soft voice urgently called from ahead of him.

_'__Kusanagi? Is that my name? It doesn't…doesn't sound quite right.'_ He thought as he continued towards the voice.

"Come on Kusanagi-san, come back. Come back to us…come back to me." The voice pleaded, sounding desperate and frantic.

For reasons he couldn't explain, he didn't like that. He didn't like hearing this voice so sad not for his sake. So he hurried towards it if only to reassure her. But that name Kusanagi still didn't sound right to his ears.

"Godou-kun, please don't give up! Please keep fighting!" the voice all but yelled frantically.

_'__Kusanagi, Godou Kusanagi…no, that's not right...my name is my name is…Emiya.'_

Suddenly it all came back to him. Who he was then, who he was now, and what he was doing. _'Yuri, don't worry I'm on my way.'_ He thought determinedly.

With renewed vigor, he struggled against the last four years of Fuyuhime's memories, the knowledge of her Origin and Elements tucked safely in the back of his mind. It was a tough fight, but with Yuri cheering him on every step of the way, he knew he could do it. Giving one last mighty heave, he felt himself leave Fuyuhime's memories and return to his own body…

He awoke with a slight gasp. He'd never felt so drained since coming to this dimension. Every muscle in his body ached and he felt as weak and helpless as a newborn. Using what little strength he had left, he forced his eyes open. Once he did, he found himself looking up into the tear-filled eyes of Mariya Yuri. With a monumental effort, he raised an arm and using a hand, wiped away her gathering tears saying "What are you crying for, Yuri?"

Said girls eyes widened as she heard him talk, and combined with his touch, caused tears to spring into her eyes once again. But this time they were tears of joy if the smile on her face was any indication.

"Kusanagi-kun!" She squealed leaning down and capturing him in an awkward hug. It was only then that he realized where his head was lying…his headway laying on Yuri's lap.

Sitting up, she adopted a stern expression he'd never seen on her face before. Well, at least not directed at him. Pointing a finger at him like he was a misbehaving child, Yuri chastised, "Kusanagi-kun, you need to be more careful! You had me anxious for a minute there. Especially when you started convulsing like you were having a seizure."

"Sorry, bout that. Where's Fuyuhime?" he asked.

"Right here Kusanagi-kun," Fuyuhime said coming into his field a vision from his left, looking just as concerned as Yuri.

Taking a shuddering breath, he said, "Your Origin, is Ignition. You have two Elemental Affinities. You can use both Fire and Lightning."

Fuyuhime felt something 'click' in her mind as if a piece of herself just fell into place upon learning her Origin, and Elemental Affinities, but especially her Origin.

Emiya then tried to sit up, only to be forced back down by both girls. Once he was settled back down Yuri asked, "Just what do you think you were doing Kusanagi-kun?"

"Umm getting up?" he said.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Both girl's yelled at him simultaneously. They then stared at each other for a moment, a silent conversation that could only pass between two females of the human species happened between them.

They then nodded to each other, and Yuri promptly took his arms while Fuyuhime tooko his legs and together, they began to carry him out of his room and down the hall.

After they nearly rammed his head into a Chinese vase from the Han dynasty, he asked, "Where are we going?"

It was Fuyuhime who answered "To the medical wing. You're obviously exhausted and need to rest and recuperate."

"Thanks you two, but-"He was cut off by both girls shouting at him "NO BUTS!"

_'__Why is it, no matter what universe I end up in, I end up getting bossed around by women?'_ he mused choosing to stay quiet and letting them continue to carry him to the medical ward.

* * *

He was a bit miffed at being told he was to be confined to a bed for a week, but having an heir to the Four Families had its perks. He never had to explain how he ended up completely exhausted in the first place. While he was confined to a hospital bed, he was visited by friends both new and old. His first visitor didn't bother to announce himself or even use the front door.

Emiya had been resting peacefully when suddenly his eyes snapped open he was now completely alert. For he felt another presence in his room, and he knew he wasn't alone. Reinforcing his hearing he heard the faint sound of a heartbeat, and of someone trying to lower the level of their breathing. Upon pinpointing the sound, he could tell it was coming from the ceiling tile on the far left of his room.

"Come on out, I know you're there." He said to his unannounced visitor.

He heard the heartbeats quicken, the person above becoming frenzied at being discovered. A sigh was heard, seconds later the panel was moved aside and Kenji of all people jumped down from the crawlspace, wearing a tight-fitting latex outfit like that a scuba diver would wear. Structurally analyzing it with but a look, he could tell it was as thick as leather armor and was created using a carbon nanotube and Kevlar mesh, making it very durable to bullets but weak against piercing. Strapped around his waist was a belt that had numerous little pouches attached to it and latched diagonally to his back was a katana.

Raising an eyebrow, Emiya asked in disbelief "Kenji, **_you've_** been undergoing ninja training?"

Smirking in response, Kenji replied "Yeah, cool huh-" Suddenly frowning he asked "Hey wait, what do you mean by 'me'?"

Smiling a bit, Emiya replied "I'm just surprised you can keep yourself quiet long enough to be stealthy."

The two boy's look at each other for a moment, before they both laughed. "Yeah, Amakasu-sensei almost tore his hair out teaching me the art of 'being silent like shadow' as he called it." Using air quotes and rolling his eyes as he quoted Amakasu.

Frowning a little, Emiya said in evident distaste "So, you're learning from **_him_**, hmm?"

"Hey, Amakasu-sensei isn't that bad man. What's your beef with him anyway?" Kenji asked, rising to his teachers' defense.

Shrugging, Emiya replied "I don't know, I guess he just rubs me the wrong way."

"Yeah well-" Kenji didn't get to finish as there was suddenly a polite knock at the door.

"Come in!" the patient called from his place on the bed.

The door opened and in walked Rui and Tarou. Tarou was wearing a charcoal colored suit, as was Rui. The only difference between the two was that Rui had leather gloves on, and Tarou had a messenger's satchel slung across his side. Looking them both up and down the former Counter Guardian asked, "Do I even want to know what you two have been up to?"

"I've been working closely with Sayanomia Karou in the Intel Gathering Division or IGD," Tarou told him while patting his satchel affectionately.

"And you Rui, what have you been up to?" Emiya asked locking eyes with the intimidating looking boy."

Swallowing nervously Rui replied "I-I've been working with F-Fuyuhime-sama in the T&amp;I Department."

A surprised look crossed the former Beast of Alaya's face and he asked "Torture and Interrogation?"

Nodding, Rui replied "Y-Yeah, but Fuyuhime-sama wants me to learn mostly psychological torture. She says the thought of doing something to someone is worse than actually doing it. Once you physically **_do _**something to someone, they know what the pain feels like…they now know they can survive it."

_'__I just equipped a torturer with the ability to create fire and lightning on command…great.' _He thought.

"I see." Was all Emiya could say in response.

Turning to Kenji, Rui asked, "Did you find anything? Listening devices, surveillance or the like?"

Shaking his head, the blonde-haired boy replied "Nope, were in the clear. Turning to the boy in the hospital bed, Kenji asked "So boss, when do we move?"

Giving Kenji a confused look, Emiya inquired "Excuse me?"

Kenji grinned at him and said "C'mon boss no need to keep pretending, I just said we were in the clear. So, when do we make a move on these Committee guys? We did just like you said, kept our heads down, and stayed out of trouble. It was a good plan you came up with infiltrating the enemy and taking them down from the inside like that. So, now that we're all chummy with the heir's what do you want us to do next?"

Emiya blinked once, twice, thrice. _'These guys took what I said in the shed completely out of context…Still, this could provide all kinds of useful information. Provided they're careful.'_ He thought feeling slightly guilty he was letting his friends put themselves in danger, but it's not like he actually told them to go and do this.

Coming to a decision he said, "Keep doing what you're doing. Gather information discreetly and do not draw attention to yourselves. This should be considered a long-term assignment. And will last until I say otherwise."

Sighing in annoyance while the other two nodded, Kenji asked, "Why are we playing it so safe?"

"I don't know, maybe because we are outnumbered here a thousand to one, or that we are an hour from the nearest city, even if we went pedal to the metal by car?" Emiya mused aLuod.

"Fine, okay you made your point. We'll be like Bond."

Shaking his head, Emiya replied "No, not like Bond. Be like sharks, keep beneath the water, beneath notice."

"Right." The three who weren't confined to a bed said.

Nodding he said to them "Good, now get out of here, and remember, stay beneath the water."

The three nodded echoing his words before leaving the room. Long after they had gone, Alaya's former Beast lay awake wondering if he'd done the right thing…

The next day he was playing a game of chess against himself when a knock on the door came. "Come in he called, expecting one or more of his friends.

He was not at all surprised to find the Sayanomia Karou, the green-eyed redhead from the first day entering his room. She had visited him every day since he entered the hospital ward trading quips back and forth with him, and generally just keeping him from being bored out of his mind. Most of the time he pretended he couldn't recall her name, just to get on her nerves.

As usual she was dressed in drag, wearing a man's black suit and red tie, which matched her hair. In her hands she was holding a clipboard, which she seemed to be casually looking over as she entered, saying "One of these days you'll just **_have_** to tell me what you were doing with **_both_** Fuyuhime and Mariya Yuri to exhaust yourself so Kusanagi-san."

Smirking he replied "Now, now, don't you know it's rude to kiss and tell, Sayanomia Karou?"

The redhead looked up and smirked, replying "You remembered my name! Does this mean someone has a little crush on me?" she teased.

"Pff, don't flatter yourself. You work with one of my friends remember?" he reminded her as he rolled his eyes.

"Ah yes, Rui-san is a very diligent worker. Though I do wonder why his parents named him Hanatarou?" she said, speaking more to herself than to him.

Not seeing the harm in telling her, he replied "His parents were expecting a girl. So they were planning on naming him after his recently deceased grandmother. When they found out they had a boy, they combined the names of his father and his grandmother together."

Karou cast her gaze around to change the subject and upon seeing the chess board, said "…Oh, you play?"

Nodding Emiya said, "Yeah, want to play?"

"Sure," Karou said with a nod.

And so hours passed quips were traded and games were won and lost. When a nurse came in with two trays of food that far surpassed the normal fair found in a hospital, Karou blinked. Sheo then glanced at the clock on the wall before stating "We've been at this for five hours now?"

Looking at the clock himself, Emiya replied "So it seems, I guess time flies when you're having fun hmm?"

Yeah." Karou replied smiling at him a little.

She really did enjoy spending time with the mysterious Kusanagi Godou. Most of the people, she knew either worked under her and respected her too much to joke around with her or they were stuffy old men and women who didn't appreciate her humor in the first place. Kusanagi was different from the rest, however. He didn't seem to care about rank or position and treated everyone the same. Sure it was with suspicion until he got to know you, but at least he was consistent. Karou appreciated that. It didn't hurt that he was a deadpan snarker that liked verbal sparring either.

As they ate the meal provided them, Emiya decided to ask a question "So, why **_do_** you go around dressed as a boy?"

Karou, who had just taken a sip of tea, did a perfect spit-take, choked, and sputtered, not expecting that question. After she had caught her breath, she found Kusanagi covered in saliva and tea staring at her with an eyebrow raised. An awkward moment of silence came and went and finally he asked "Sorry, was that a personal question?"

Quickly grabbing a napkin, Karou did her best to clean him up while profusely apologizing. "No, no, and I'm so sorry about that, I just wasn't expecting the question." She replied honestly.

"If that's how you act when someone asks the question, the answer must be quite something." Emiya mused before adding "But if it's too personal, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Karou thought about refusing him, but…she felt she could trust him for some reason. So, taking a steadying breath she began "I'm not sure you're old enough to understand, but people who are not one-hundred percent Japanese are often looked down upon."

Emiya nodded he understood perfectly well. The bullies that were picking on Yuri on their first day of class years ago did so because of her hair color. Her father, though he works as a part of the National Diet, is Caucasian with brown hair. Yuri inherited her father's hair color, and due to standing out, she was always teased, that was until he showed up.

"Yes well, my mother was Irish. I received both my hair and eye color from her…She didn't survive childbirth."

"I'm sorry." He told her.

Shaking her head, Karou replied "Don't be, you didn't know her, I didn't even know her. Anyway, certain members of the family were displeased at my father's decision in not only marrying a gaijin, but also not being able to produce a male heir. So, my dad started dressing me in men's clothes and raised me to be a boy."

Seeing him frown Karou asked, "What's wrong?"

Emiya didn't like it. What Karou described hit too close to home with Sakura and how her childhood and innocence was sacrificed for the sake of one madman's goals.

"That isn't right. Your father shouldn't sacrifice his daughter to further his own agenda. In turning you into something you're not, he disgraces the memory of the wife he supposedly loved. What was the point of defying his family and marrying your mother if he was just going to turn around and go groveling back to his family who he knew didn't approve in the first place? Besides, you're a perfectly nice looking girl, there's no reason you should be treated this way." Emiya mused aLuod staring off into space, lost in thoughts of his old Kohei.

Because he was so lost in thought, he never noticed the look of surprise that melted into a shy look appreciation mixed with blush-stained cheeks which crossed the Sessyoin heiress's face. Karou had been treated like a boy her entire life. As such, she'd never been complimented on her looks. She'd never been allowed to wear dresses or makeup, and was always strictly reprimanded if she tried to act like the girl she was. No one dared to attempt to help her as her family was one of the Four Families and could ruin someone financially or worse for such things.

Yet here was Kusanagi Godou, some no name hedge-mage who according the information they'd been able to gather about his relatives, he was most likely the apprentice to Lucretia Zola the Highest Witch on Earth. According to what they had learned; she and his Grandfather, Kusanagi Ichirou, a well-known folklorist, had met about forty years prior. In truth, Karou thought the Elders were being optimistic as Ichirou Kusanagi was known to travel abroad and had been to China on several occasions. So it was just as likely that his teacher was Luo Hao herself.

Her thoughts turned back to Godou himself. He was the first person to accept her for who she was as a person outside of the Four Families. Mostly because he didn't care about an individual's station, but about how that person acted in that position of power. And that thought caused her to chuckle slightly because she acted just like he did. Smiling at the fact that her giggle fit didn't bring the younger boy out of his musings, Karou said quietly "Thank you Kusanagi-kun."

"Hmm, you say something Sayanomia-san?" Emiya asked turning his attention back to the redhead.

Karou just smiled and shook her head. Emiya had been thinking and of more than just fond memories of Sakura. He had a crazy idea involving Karou. _'It __**should**__ work. I mean, there's no reason it shouldn't. She's Irish on her mother's side, and magic in this world was powered by the Gods themselves so it should be simple.'_

Turning to her he asked, "Do you happen to know your mother's maiden name?"

Blinking in surprise Karou answered "It was mac Lir, why do you ask?"

"I need a piece of paper and something to write with." He said hurriedly in response.

"But why-"She began to ask, only to be cut off by Kusanagi, who said "I'll explain in a minute. Just get me some paper and a pen first."

Karou was still confused but did as he asked, leaving the room for a couple of minutes before coming back with a clipboard and a pen. Upon handing it to him, he began writing down things frantically. Five minutes later, he put the pen and paper down and said "I'm assuming you want to know just what the heck is going on?"

"That would be great. Or if you'd prefer, I could have you moved to one of the padded rooms a floor down?" Karou replied with a faux smile plastered on her face.

Chuckling at her jibe, he replied "No, that won't be necessary. I've thought of something I could show you that would make your Irish heritage a boon more than stigmata. If this works as I think, it will…well, let's just say you won't have to worry about naysayers or cross-dressing for much longer." He finished with a smirk.

"Eh?" she said leaning forwards, Kusanagi having captured her full attention.

Holding the paper close to his chest to prevent her from seeing its contents Emiya said gravely "Listen Karou, I'm not guaranteeing that this will work. Even if it does, you need to be extremely careful with using what I'm about to show you. As, if other people find out what you can do, it'll make you a target."

Straightening Karou replied "I understand. I understand what you're about to show me is potentially life threatening to me Godou-san, but I still want to know all the same. And I promise to keep whatever you show me very, very close to my chest. In fact, I'll promise not to tell anyone without your permission if you like."

He stared at the Sayanomia heiress for a moment. Seeing the resolve in her eyes he nodded before laying the paper flat on the bed, showing a diagram that had drawn there. At the center of the diagram was a sphere underneath were the words "Lead ball the size of a shot-put/fist."

Placed around the sphere at noon, nine, six, and three 'o' clock were runic symbols. Going clockwise, the first symbol was a diamond, which according to the notes next to it stood for the god Ingwaz otherwise known as Freyer in Norse Mythology or in Celtic circles Lugh. At three 'o' clock was a 'Y' shaped rune called Elhaz, which meant Elk and stood for restraint of power. Opposite to Ingwaz was a sideways hourglass entitled Dagaz, which represented the stability between opposites, the stopping of harmful energy, and allowing good energy to be gathered and used. Lastly, there was a misshapen 'X' called Gebo which stood for gifts, the connection between two people when they exchange gifts and respect that an individual has for the Gods for giving them life.

As she continued to study the diagram Karou noted that the symbols were to be written around the shot-put in the users own blood, and then blood was to be spilled on the led sphere itself. It is then to be left alone for an indeterminate amount of time. She could tell some kind of ritual evoking Lugh, the Celtic God of sunlight and war was being done, but she didn't know for what purpose.

Seeing the questioning look on her face, Emiya elaborated in hushed tones "This is a ritual used to summon the weapon of the Celtic God Lugh. The weapon is Fragarach, the Answerer also known as the Gouging Sword of the War God. When used correctly…well, it should be able to wound even those Heretic Gods you people keep worrying over."

Looking at him startled Karou asked, "Where did you learn this?"

Shrugging he replied "From my master though she couldn't use it herself because she wasn't Irish."

Karou nodded slowly, filing that little tidbit of information about his master away for later, before asking "But if this ritual is so powerful, why are you showing it to me?"

"Because, I can't use it correctly either as I'm not of Irish decent. But your half-Irish so there's a chance you can pull it off. Plus, I really, really hate bullies. "He then raised a finger and added –"I'll warn you now though, it may not work for you either, as all the known users of this technique were full blooded Irish. Even if Lugh does decide to grant you his blessing, it may be weaker for that very same reason."

Karou couldn't help but laugh and say "So what? If it fails nothing changes. If it succeeds even if it's a weakened version…that's something that would cause people to pause and take notice."

Folding up the diagram for the crafting of Fragarach, he handed it to her saying, "Then go for it. But make sure no one finds out about this, or I'll have questions asked of me by a bunch of nosy old people." He joked.

Placing the folded piece of paper in her shirt pocket, Karou replied "Kusanagi-san, I work in the intelligence-gathering division, I know how to keep a secret."

She then walked to the door only to stop and turn when she reached it to say "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. You're being released tomorrow, once you are, the 'Nosy old people' have a job for you."

_'__The old fogies have a job for me, what could that be?'_ Emiya thought.

"Oh and Godou?" Karou asked from right next to him, causing him to look up, surprised.

He looked up just in time to receive a chaste kiss on the lips. It was nothing like the kiss he received from Fuyuhime after he turned on her magic circuits. That kiss had passion and heat to it, driven as it was by instinct and want. The kiss Karou gave him was both awkward and clumsy. It was downright mechanical, well if the machine in question had no idea what it was doing but tried doing it anyway.

Karou then pulled back just far enough that her blush stained face was all he could see as she said "Thanks, for everything."

She then rushed out the door without another word. Leaving one very confused prepubescent Counter Guardian in her wake thinking _'Oh god, not another one!'_

* * *

It was the next morning and just like Karou said, he was cleared to leave by the nurses in the hospital ward. He'd just finished getting dressed into a red long-sleeved shirt, black jeans, and steel toed work boots when he heard a knock on his door. He finishing tightening his gray leather belt before saying "Enter."

The door opened and in walked Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko. He was in a crisp all black suit and polished business shoes that sharply contrasted with his shortly cut blonde hair. Not for the first time, Emiya was reminded of Issei Ryuudo. The Kuhoutsuka heir nodded sharply to him giving a serene smile as he said "Good morning Kusanagi-san, I trust the staff here have informed you you're free to leave?"

Nodding in turn, he replied "Yes, and I was told the Heads had a job for me am I to assume you're here to escort me here to them?"

"Yes." He replied levelly "I was unaware you were informed the Elders were requiring your services."

Shrugging Emiya replied "Karou told me yesterday, but she didn't mention specifics."

Nodding again and fixing his glasses, Mikihiko replied "I see. Well, this way then."

As the two walked down the hall, Emiya couldn't help but notice the young Kuhoutsuka kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye every now and again. Curious, he asked, "Is there something on my face, Kuhoutsuka-san?"

Stiffening and falling behind a step at being found out, Mikihiko quickened his pace catching up to him before saying "No nothing like that…it's just, I'm not sure what to make of you. You're only ten, yet you act so much older, like a man that has seen too much conflict and has become jaded by it."

To his credit, the former Beast of Alaya didn't miss a stride. He just shrugged and said "I guess I'm just an old soul."

"I suppose, here we are," Mikihiko said stopping in front of a pair of solid wood sliding doors with brass ring handles. When shut, Emiya bet they would block out all noise from being heard from within. Opening the door, Mikihiko bowed entirely at the waist and said "I brought Kusanagi Godou as requested."

Emiya settled for a curt nod, however, as he did not only didn't he feel the need to bow, but was also taking in the splendor of the room before him. The walls, like the door behind him, were made of solid hardwood, The Heads of the Four Families sat on plush pillows made of purple silk slightly to the left and behind each Family Head was the Heir to that family, and behind them sat an enormous gong in the form of a solid gold eastern dragon, its eyes made of carved ruby, and its body was encircled around and holding up a brass and black symbol in the shape of a yin-yang symbol.

His attention was brought to Seishuunin Ran when she asked "Do you like the look of that statue Kusanagi-san?"

Locking eyes with the Matriarch of the Seishuunin Emiya replied "I think it's gaudy and a waste of money that could be better used elsewhere."

The other three clan heads blinked at the boys' no-nonsense answer, but Ran herself only smiled and replied "An assessment you and I can agree on Kusanagi-san. I never saw the point of my grandfather spending so much money to have this thing made."

"Hn, that's nice. But I do believe you brought me here for a reason other than asking me about my taste in statues yes?" he inquired.

Resisting the urge to frown Ran replied "Right, down to business then. We believe we have a job that should prove beneficial to us, and be rather simple for you as you are just starting out."

_'__In other words, they don't trust me because they don't know me, and until they know more about me, their regulating me to being an errand boy. Fine, we'll play that way…for now.'_ He thought.

"What's the job?" he asked.

Being handed a manila folder by some no name lackey, Ran opened it and explained "We're sending you to Aokigahara, to investigate some odd goings on there. Recently many gaijin have been seen entering the forest and not leaving, nor have their bodies been found by the local law enforcement when we sent them in search of them. It is your job to find them, observe them, and figure out what they are up to. But, should something serious be going on, you are not to engage them. You are to call for backup and keep an eye on them while help arrives. It that clear?" she said to the boy.

"Crystal." He replied.

Nodding, Ran closed the folder before handing it to a lackey who then handed it to him. "You can read all the information we've collected on your way there. A car will be waiting out front to take you to Honshu leaves in half an hour, don't miss it." She told him in a way that was clearly meant as a dismissal.

Nodding to her one last time, the former Beast of Alaya made his way out of the room already perusing the folder for relevant information.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cave deep in the depths of Aokigahara, carved within the side of Mt. Fuji was a series of twisting tunnels that led to a large ice cavern. Within were several dozen people of all different race and nationality. Their genders were masked by the thick black robes they were wearing along with the large cowls they had pulled up. This uniform served not only to wave off the chill of the Japanese winter, but also to hide their faces. One of their number, however, had several designs on his robe. His robe was flecked with gossamer strands of silver intertwining all throughout its length and on his chest, in that same silver thread was the symbol of a pentacle with an eye in the center.

This man, known to them all only as the Vicar, looked around at his congregation for a moment. He then spoke in a charismatic tone "Brothers, Sisters, we stand here now, mere hours from the precipice of victory! Soon, our Lord shall be freed from the shackles that bind him and he shall walk this plane of existence once more. The main ingredient needed for our ritual is currently being harvested as we speak..."

The Vicar looked around the assembly and continued "Some of you thought that attempting to kidnap one whose lineage comes from a Campione, slayers of our Lord and his Kin would have been sufficient for this ritual. You thought this would be safer and keep us out of the public eye…"

Half a dozen of the people in the crowd shifted uncomfortably at their Vicar's words.

The Vicar continued "Yet, we did indeed manage to capture one of our hated enemies! We were extremely fortunate to get the drop on one of these so-called 'Kings' even though she is female after she spent herself driving off a Heretic God we summoned to her lands. We caught her and kept her in our thrall and soon she shall deliver unto us the primary ingredient for our ritual…a child of divine blood!"

The congregation cheered, but their joy was fleeting. For the Vicar's voice suddenly went from charismatic to low and dangerous as he continued, "Though we have the primary ingredient mere minutes at hand being harvested. But, there are still a few other…key items that require collecting."

"Does anyone care to donate?" The Vicar had asked before he motioned with his hand, the six people who had twitched uncomfortably before suddenly found themselves being gripped by their arms by their fellow cultists. Their heads were jerked back roughly as another of their number approached palming a dagger made of sharpened obsidian. Their eyes were dilated and looking around like frantic animals. Yet they found not one sympathetic eye staring back at them. The last thing any of them saw was a thin piece of obsidian obscuring their vision.

The Vicar grinned maliciously as he watched the sacrificial lambs being slaughtered by his loyal pack of reverent wolves. Their backs were sliced open and their spines ripped out, wrists were cut off, and their hamstrings were removed from their legs. He wasn't lying when he said more parts were needed to enact the ritual.

He then heard someone kneel on the ground behind him. Turning he found one of the Beckoners. They were women blessed with the wisdom of their Lord. But because the human mind could not handle the awe-inspiring truth, were driven into madness becoming nothing more than nattering madwomen. They would lash out at any who came too close to them, sans himself for he possessed the mark of his Lord on his person.

Within her arms was a glass jar full of embalming fluid. Taking it from her reverently, he held it up and stared at the contents within…floating within the preserving fluid was a fetus half way through its second trimester…

"A child of Divine Blood born from his enemies, just as the Master demanded," The Vicar said in hushed, awed tones.

Tucking the translucent jar in the crook of his arm as if it was a still living babe, the leader turned to his remaining followers. They were about to grind what remained of their sacrificial lambs to paste before barking "Enough! String them up and drain them of their blood. Also, prepare the pit! Once they are drained, we shall begin the ceremony…GO!"

As the others scattered like windblown leaves, the Vicar prepared for the long awaited return of his Lord. A return that was many millennia in the making and nothing and no one would ruin the carefully laid plan that had been generations in the making… If only he knew about the tenacity of a certain former Beast Alaya had when it came to saving people in danger, he might've thought his plans weren't so secure.

* * *

During the almost three-hour plane ride from Saitama to Honshu, Emiya read through the folder. He wasn't at all surprised when it didn't tell him much. The names on their passports and ID's were fake, yet were legitimate enough to get them into the country, a background check did nothing, as none of them showed up on any government databases. He was going in almost entirely blind. The only think he knew for certain was that they entered Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees. It was otherwise known as the Suicide Forest of Japan. This was because of the fact that every year, dozens if not hundreds of his fellow countrymen chose to take their lives in that place, either through drug overdose or hanging.

_'__How ironic, I'm tracking down a group that is likely up to no good, and if it leads to bloodshed, they can just become another corpse among the hundreds already there. Of course, I'm sure that's why they chose this location themselves, so as to easily explain away any bodies that turn up. '_ He thought to himself.

After he had landed, a Rolls Royce was waiting for him, the windshield wipers periodically wiping the snowfall off the windshield. The driver, an Englishman in his fifties wearing chaffer attire, opened the back seat for him, allowing him to get in. Once the driver was back in his seat, he asked professionally "Where to, young man?"

"To Mt. Fuji please." He replied.

"Yes, of course, young man, right away." Without another word, the man sped off.

They arrived at the edge of Aokigahara soon enough as it, and Mt. Fuji dominated the island they both rested on. Getting out of the car, Emiya told the man "Wait here, I'll be back by nightfall."

"Of course, be careful in there young man." The driver said while tipping his cap.

Nodding, Emiya squared his shoulders and headed into the forest. It was thicker than he imagined it would be, the trees blocked out nearly all sound and light once he got more than a few feet in. While he didn't condone it, he could see why people would come here to end their lives. It was peaceful, quiet, and seemingly cut off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. The only sound he heard was his feet crunching the snow underfoot. Scattered here and there were signs saying **_"Think of your family"_** and**_ "Please don't do this."_** About the constant loss of life that happened here.

Yet he ignored the signs and kept pushing onwards leaving the trail proper once he was sure he was out of sight of the driver. Now off the beaten path and away from prying eyes, he felt secure enough to use a bit of Magecraft. He needed to figure out just where these people were hiding and Aokigahara was large, thirty-five square kilometers (fourteen square miles).

So he decided to try out some of magecraft he'd been working on over the years to find them faster. Sitting down on a fallen tree, after he brushed the snow off, he intoned, **_"Trace on."_**

Moments later, thirty lozenge diamond shaped pieces of smooth flat stone the size of his palm were floating before him. They cost more to trace, as they were not blades, but they could fulfill certain tasks his swords could not. Like finding a group of people in a massive forest for example.

Forcing od into the tip of his index finger, Emiya stroked the Elder Futhark rune for _Raido_, which stood for journeying or seeking something onto their surface. The runes, now etched in the stone, drew mana from the air to power themselves before flying off at breakneck speed swerving through the trees.

The principle behind this spell was simple, inscribe the rune onto stones, and give them a mental command to seek out a person, persons, or high concentration of magic in the area. He knew the first part would work just fine, as that's how they were intended to function. It was the second part he was going to try that he didn't know if it would work or not…When one or more of the Runes found what they were searching for, they were to dispel, and hopefully when doing so, they would send information of their location back to him.

What he was attempting to do in practice was the opposite of what he usually did when he drew upon the experience in one of his many traced weapons. Instead of drawing upon the knowledge of its user while it was in hand, he wanted to gain the information the Rune gathered after it dispelled having found its quarry.

Suddenly, his mind was flooded with images of a cave. The scene the rapidly rewound like someone rewinding a VHS tape inside of his head until it came back to where he was still sitting. By the time it was over, he had estimated the people he was looking for were five clicks ( five km or eleven miles) north by northwest of his current position. Getting up, he reinforced himself as much as he could, which considering his current age, was just shy of E-rank stats, being at nine times normal human attributes for everything.

_'__I still have a ways to go before I'm back up to snuff, but this would have to do for now.' _He had thought before he jettisoned off into the trees. Going twenty-two kilometers per hour, it took him only a couple of minutes to reach the mouth of the cave. Once he arrived he sniffed the air, the scent of what could be described as power, mixed with blood and madness reached his senses. This was a trait he'd only discovered after becoming a Counter Guardian, he could 'smell' magecraft. Due to his Element being Sword he had a connection to the Chinese Element of Metal, which in turn was connected to the sense of smell…and what he smelt just now heralded nothing good.

Bringing both Kanshou and Bakuya to his waiting hands, he tread carefully into the depths of depths of the icy cavern. After several twists and turns he came to a fork in the road, one going left the other going right. Walking up to one and then the other, he again he took a whiff of the surrounding air. The scents from earlier were coming from the right. He continued on down that path and was forced to do this several more time until finally he saw the literal light at the end of the tunnel he was walking down.

Reinforcing his eyes he peered into the space beyond, and what he saw, sickened him. For, around a pit filled with fire, danced two and a half dozen nude figures. Most were male, but some female and all of them had freshly carved various runes and sigils into their flesh that bled as they danced around the flame. Hung over the blaze like pigs being slow roasted, were six human corpses. Their hands had been removed at the wrist. In their eye sockets were naught but congealed blood, and when they spun around he could see that they were also missing vertebrae from their spines, as well as the hamstrings from their legs.

As he drew closer, he could make out the sound of chiming bells and chanting by the group in a language that did seem fit for human ears or even capable by human throats for that matter.

"Ai, Ai, Pe'ed Sneo, Nhil'drec fo eht Aes! Rof, Eno'wledgk, Rof N'volu'tioe, dna Eranscendenct!"

He silently traced his black bow. It was a mesh of ceramics, carbon fiber tubes, graphite, and wood that humanity had no knowledge of in this dimension. Even those in his home dimension wouldn't find out about it for another twenty to thirty years. Then, he delved into his Blade Works. Preparing to fire a nigh endless volley of reinforced arrows, only to stop when someone fully clothed in a black hooded robe with designs woven into it in silver thread came into his field of view. He was carrying something in his arms that he couldn't make out as the folds of his robes were in the way.

The tinkling of the bells and the frantic chanting ceased upon the man's approach, and the people gathered on one side of the fire, with the clothed man on the other.

_"__Ai Ta'thef Dagon, Ai Ro'them Hydra, Ai Rle'epes Gin'k Cthulhu_!" the man intoned with borderline fanatic reverence.

"_Ph'nglui__mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" _The group recited back in that guttural foreign tongue.

The man in charge then spoke in plain English "My people, for centuries and generations beyond counting, we have strived for this singular moment. The moment when we would revive our Lord, and, with his resurrection, gain enlightenment. All thanks to the Child of Blood brought unto us by our Lord!" the robed man cried. He then held up the item he'd kept concealed in the folds of his robe above his head, its contents reflected in the firelight.

"Hail the Deep Trinity, Hail the Lord, and Hail the Blood Child!" the group before him chanted.

Emiya's grip tightened on his bow when he saw the aborted fetus floating in embalming fluid. _'Forget calling for backup, these people are dying now.'_ He thought to himself as he reached into his Reality Marble and pulled out one of his most effective projectiles.

_'__Judging concept of creation_ **_-to slay monsters-_** _Hypothesizing basic structure_ **_-sixteenth century greatsword, blade possesses tines-_** _Duplicate composition material_ -**_steel, wood wrapped leather, curse placed upon blade to fail in greatest time of need- _**_Imitate the skill of its making __**-peat moss used to form iron which in turn was hammered into steel, curse was placed on it after it was used for kin slaying-**__ Sympathizing with the experience of its growth __**-It was used for many years in the clan of Ecglaf, whose youngest son used it to slay his older brothers and claim the family fortune cursing it to always seek vitals when swung- **__Reproducing accumulated years __**-It is over four hundred years old- **__Excel every manufacturing process –Make it better than the original could ever hope to be._

_'__Trace completed. Alter design, twist blade, lengthen tines, and make it more aerodynamic. Load trace, fire!'_ he thought.

Into his waiting hand came Hrunting, the blade given to Beowulf by Unferth to slay Hag, a water spirit in the form of a serpent. This weapon's enchantments made it particularly useful as an arrow as Hrunting would unendingly seek its opponents' vitals at rapid speed, dragging its owner along like a hunting hound until the prey was slain. It would ignore its masters need for rest and care not for things like its weilder's fatuige, only the kill mattered to this blade.

He then packed the sword turned arrow with prana…and he broke it. Now, now it was sharp, fragile, dangerous…and broken.

Nocking the equally black arrow on his dark bow, he intoned before letting it fly **_"I am the bone of my sword…_**now, **_Fly across the Crimson Plains, Red Hound."_**

He let the Broken Phantasm fly. It had become a bolt of crimson light seconds before it impaled the cult leader in the back, sending him and his prized 'Child of Blood' toppling into the depths of the flaming pit together.

Stunned silence reigned among the gathered cultists for a moment. For they gaped in shock at the sudden assassination of their , that moment was all Emiya needed as he was suddenly in their midst, a red, white, and black blur hacking off limbs with the married twin swords. Within moments, all of them were on the ground wreathing in pain as they bled out from the loss of various limbs.

Assured that none of them would be getting up and attacking him, Emiya headed down a side passage that the now deceased leader must have come out of earlier. His form had already been consumed by the darkness of the tunnel when something rose up from the flames…

* * *

As he walked down the tunnel, Emiya didn't know what he expected to find in the end. But a one-foot thick steel door vault door covered in runes definitely wasn't even remotely on his list.

He blinked staring at it for a moment before tracing Caladbolg, the sword of Fergus mac Roich. Gripping it by its blue leather handle, he jammed it point first, into the center of the vault door. Caladbolg who in legend sliced through the tops of three hills, quickly cut through the thick metal and its wards as if it were a hot knife going through butter. Stabbing it to the hilt, he then proceeded to cut a man-sized door-shaped hole into the large metal plating. Once he was done; he quickly stood back and let gravity, the fact that the turn handle was facing his direction and that it had nothing holding it upright, do his work for him. The hunk of metal landed with an audible crash, kicking up a cLuod of dirt as it did so.

Glaring through the dirt cloud, Emiya made his way forwards intent on seeing just what it was these people were so keen to hide behind lock and key.

What he found surprised and confused him, for behind a foot thick metal door covered in runes was a hospital room. Though this really should be called more a torture chamber than a hospital room. For there were numerous sharp implements hanging from chains on the walls and strange glyphs written in what appeared to be dried blood covered spaces in between them.

Yet, on the single gurney in the room with an IV in both arms and bound hand and foot to the bed in silver and rune inscribed chain, laid a woman. She was covered in dirt, blood, and grime. In what probably was once an expensive kimono, which was now so torn and covered in blood, dirt, and other filth that it might as well be burned. Regardless of the fact that she was covered in dirt, her hair was a mess and slick with grease and sweat from being unallowed to bathe, he could still tell she was stunning. She was Chinese with sharp, regal features, he could see hints of pale skin underneath all the grime. She looked to be about in her late teens to early twenties and he could tell she was breathing thanks to the rise and fall of her well-endowed bosom.

Going over to get a closer look at her and check her for injuries, he noted she had a still healing wound on her stomach. Upon closer inspection, he found her legs were covered not only in blood, but also in placenta. He'd just found that poor child's mother. Gritting his teeth in anger and regret, he went over and removed the IV's she had stuck in both of her arms and broke the silver and rune inscribed chains she was bound with by overloading them with prana.

Checking the contents of the IV using Structural Grasping, he noted something unusual. _'Concentrated Extract of the Holly plant? What is this doing in an IV and how is it keeping her under like this?'_ he wondered before tossing it aside.

Doing another Structural grasping on the woman herself, he found that her odic levels were low, low to the point that she was practically in a coma. Still there was an easy fix to this. Taking up Caladbolg, he ran his finger along the tip gently enough to draw blood before transferring the bleeding appendage towards the woman's open mouth. For several minutes, he held his bleeding finger over her mouth, and he did this until he felt her od begin to spike, signifying she was fighting off the drug and would be waking up soon.

_'__Good, now all I have to do is-.'_

**"****BWRRRAAARR!"**

"Kill whatever the hell just made that noise." He had said to himself before he made his way out of the room and down the tunnel, never seeing the woman's eyes flutter open behind him and watching him depart.

* * *

When he arrived back in the main chamber, he wasn't prepared for what he found. It was a huge mountain of flesh and corpses fused together into a single entity. It was easily two stories tall and centaur-like in the fact that it was 'humanoid' from the waist up. From the waist down, it had a caterpillar-like appearance. With each of its 'feet' being a human corpse that wreathed and writhed beneath its humanoid bulk. It had a massive spine with little flesh attached to it. Huge meaty arms with human bodies for fingers and for a head, it had the body of the cult leader whose arms had been transformed into bony scythe-like blades.

This monstrous mass of flesh had an enormous amount of power to it, no matter how hideous it was. Emiya could feel as much. He knew he was outmatched, but the thought of retreat never even crossed his mind. For if he fled now, that woman would be in danger, and not helping someone at risk went against the very core tenant of his being. If he did that, he could not call himself a sword.

So he reinforced himself as much as he could, but he knew that wouldn't be enough, so he did something he hadn't done before. He used runes on his person, specifically the rune _Raido_ rune he used earlier on his legs to increase his speed. But, because it was his first time doing such a thing, and it was hastily done, he only received a fraction of the power he could have. So he went from moving at nine time's human speed to twelve just barely above E-rank. With Caladbolg in hand, he charged into battle.

The sword of the mad warrior Fergus mac Roich served him well as he hacked and slashed away at the numerous man-sized limbs. He hoped to throw the creature off kilter and once it was on the ground, to take its head off. However, that plan quickly proved fruitless as whenever he cut one of its 'feet' off, its stumps rapidly coagulated blood before the limb could even fall off.

His danger senses honed over countless battles were the only thing that saved him from getting skewered in the side. Leaping away second, he rapidly thought of a secondary plan. _'It regenerates quickly, meaning I need to do massive amounts of damage to it within a very short time frame.' _

Looking down at the blade he had in hand he thought _'I think I have just the thing.'_

Summoning his bow in his left hand, he held Caladbolg off to the side in his right before saying "My core is twisted in madness."

The blade of Caladbolg turned into a corkscrew-like shape before the spaces in-between each spiral were filled in with extra metal, turning it into a screw. Its guard shrank becoming fletching and then he packed it with prana…and he broke it.

It was now something sharp, dangerous, fragile, and broken.

Just as he was getting ready to nock and fire the now Broken Phantasm, the beast was on him hacking and slashing at him with its scythe-like limbs and attempting to crush him with its massive human-sized hands. He was forced to retreat, backing away from the beast, but it came at him relentlessly. Never ceasing with its relentless attacks. Finally, the former Beast of Alaya became fed up with this game of cat and mouse and traced thirty copies of Durandal the Peerless Sword of Roland, and fired them all at the beast at once. The peerless blades impaled the creature all the way to the hilt, causing it to scream and reel back, giving him some breathing space.

Space he used to finally fire Caladbolg II at the creature's chest. The Fake Spiral Sword warped the air around it as flew at more than Mach five speeds towards its target. Seconds before it would've struck the beast in the chest, it raised one of its massive humanoid arms and blocked the arrow. It drilled into the meat of its arm tearing bone and spraying a geyser of blood and gore burst forth from the wound it created before it suddenly stopped, embedded in the beasts' massive forearm.

It then exploded violently. Blowing the creatures arm clean off its body. It roared in pain as a waterfall's worth of blood gushed from its wound. Suddenly,a the river of blood froze in midair, and the individual droplets melded together, forming a whip shaped appendage. It snaked over to its fallen limb and entwined with it before it began flailing it around like a medieval ball and chain.

_'__What the hell is this thing a multi-stage video game boss?'_ Emiya wondered as he dodged out of the way of the flailing limb.

With this new development he decided he needed to take it up a level as his usual stock of weapons weren't cutting it. Whatever this thing was, it was either highly durable, highly resistant to magic or likely both if all one of his most dependable NP's could do was blow off its arm. So he switched to using his newer weapons, his Fusion Phantasms. But before he did that, he needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.

So he stared at the beast long and hard using Structural Grasping to find out just what it was. What he found shocked him. It was a God, this cult was seeking to summon a god to the mortal plane in the form of a Heretic God. But as he stared at it longer he noted it was weak? Not finished?

_'__Ah, of course, I interrupted the ritual meaning it wasn't summoned properly. It appears that my interference had rendered it little more than a beast. Well, since it's a god, I should be able to use Enkidu to bind it long enough for me to finish it off.' _He thought.

He did just that. Tracing the Golden Chain of Heaven and binding the beasts flailing arm…only for the arm to break apart into innumerable bits of flesh and bone, which reformed moments later, seemingly enraging the beast.

_'__Well, that didn't work.'_ He thought. He began tracing several Fusion Phantasms, all of which had one thing in common, they were combinations of the divinity cutting sword, Harpe, giving each weapon blade in the shape of a shepherd's crook. From Caladbolg, Durandal, Hrunting, and even Gáe Bolg was hastily combined with the divinity cutting scythe, giving them hook swords and war scythe-like appearances. He then packed them with prana making them sharp, fragile, dangerous, broken, and unstable.

Without further preamble, he fired all four Broken Fusion Phantasms at the weakened deity. They curved in the air, becoming multicolored discuses as they spun towards their target. Again, Caladbolg struck the creature's arm, and again it cut deep before exploding. But this time, the animal was unable to manipulate its blood to pick up its fallen arm once again. And it fared no better when the other weapons hit their mark.

Durandal spun like a dervish, slicing through its numerous feet of corpses like a hot knife through butter. Hrunting struck the creature in the abdomen at Mach fifteen, leaving a gaping hole, and Gáe Bolg, as it was wont to do, pierced the creature's chest, aiming for its heart.

Emiya was hoping this did the creature in, as his circuits were hot and his body was on fire. His brow was knit with sweat, his breathing was labored, and clothing was damp with perspiration. He watched at the beast toppled on its side unable to stay upright because its legs had been cut off by the Peerless Sword of Roland. As the dust settled, Emiya found the stubborn creature crawling towards him with its single remaining arm. It thrust up its many limbs like a scorpion and he spewed a mass of liquid that he quickly dodged, but that ate a hole into the floor.

Emiya quickly identified it as human stomach acid, which was highly corrosive.

"I. Have. Had it with you!" he said tracing Kanshou and Bakuya before he reinforced them to their Over-edged state. Not stopping there he then imbued both blades with roaring flames courtesy of the rune Sowilō, which symbolized the sun. Throwing both blazing brands at the creature. The flaming enchanted swords spun like buzz saws, cutting clean through its thorax like lower body and cauterizing the wound shut.

Tracing another pair of reinforced flame imbued blades, Emiya tossed them both out to the side. They spun outwards before flying towards the creature at curving right angles, drawn in by the magnetic force of the other two blades he'd traced previously. The two flaming pairs of swords met at the beasts' spine before exploding into so much burning shrapnel severing the thing's exposed spine.

It was weak now on its 'last legs' so to speak. But so was he, pulling on the last dregs of his od, he made his last play, one that would either assure his victory or defeat as he would end up utterly spent. Tracing a final pair of Over-Edged Married Twin Swords Emiya rushed forwards before leaping into the air. Once he was above the behemoth of mismatched flesh and bone, he filled both blades with od, Breaking them, before igniting Kanshou and Bakuya. The thrust from the flames sending him soaring ever higher above the creature, before he tossed the flaming yin-yang swords down on the head of the vile monstrosity, causing an explosion of burning shrapnel.

Safe from the blast radius, the former Counter Guardian commenced his last gambit. "The sword gifted from heaven shall never shatter nor dull." He intoned, summoning Durandal to his hands once again, only this time, he intended to use its miracle.

The miracle of Durandal was the ability to cause a large scale earthquake just like Roland himself did attempt to destroy his holy blade to prevent it falling into enemy hands creating La Brèche de Roland in the process. Pouring every last bit of od he had the sacred sword, he held it above his head point facing downwards as he homed in on his cult leader, who was the nucleus of this beast.

Falling with the grace of a hunting falcon, Emiya impaled both the head of the cult and the head of the monster through the back of his stomach. He twisted the blade, severing the mutated man's spine before the tip impaled the earth. In the process enacting its miracle even as the Vicar wreathed in agony and Emiya slumped to his knees, his body all but on fire like the area around him. His head feverish as the ground began to quake and stalagmites began to fall from the ceiling.

Using the very last dregs of his strength, the boy-hero reached up and grabbed the mutated man's neck. He jerking it hard to the side and managed a grim smile when he heard a satisfying crack that signified it was broken. Falling onto his back completely spent as the cave floor broke and stalagmites fell around him like a lethal stone rain, he thought _'That was for the woman and the child, you depraved monster. Speaking of the girl I hope she makes it out of here ok.'_

The ground began to heave up around him, preparing to swallow both him and the monstrosity whole. The ground split in half as if some great fanged animal were attempting to take his limp form.

As he began to fall into the endless abyss, his weak arm was grabbed and a feminine voice called "Do not give up quite yet Chú fèng not when you are so close to attaining victory."

His head pulled back, allowing him to catch a glimpse of his savior. All he saw was a pair of piercing dark-green eyes before passing out from exhaustion…

* * *

James McDougal, an Englishman who had immigrated to Japan, and driver of the Rolls-Royce could only sit and worry as minutes ago, an earthquake had shaken the very ground his car was parked on. He was anxious about the young boy he drove to this place, and it was only years of professionalism and worry that kept him in place. Suddenly, he saw something moving in the shadow of the trees in front of him. Rolling down the window, he called out "Is someone there?"

No answer, yet the shadowy shape and the sound of crunching snow underfoot moved ever closer. Turning on the car he flicked a switch and flooded the area in front of him with light. From the pale light cast by his headlights, he saw the form of a ragged and dirty woman in her early twenties. She was carrying the young man in her arms as she trudged forward towards his vehicle, her breath misting in the cold of the night.

Quickly getting out, he rushed over to the pair fretting over them and asking questions in rapid fire. "What happened, ma'am? Who are you, is the young lad alright, or are you in need of a doctor? Do you need-"He was cut off by the woman who fixed him with a fish-eyed glare and said "This one demands silence."

McDougal immediately ceased talking. For some reason, even though this woman was greatly disheveled and looked to have undergone some great trauma, her bearing and tone spoke of regality and superiority.

Taking off his cap respectfully, he said, "Terribly sorry ma'am. I'm just worried about you and the young one is all. Do either of you need an ambulance?"

The woman stared far off as if distracted, before saying "Ambulance? No, no ambulance. Take us- take us to the young one's house. I'm assuming you know the way there?" she said while walking past him towards the car.

"Well yes, but-but ma'am," McDougal said worriedly.

Stopping suddenly, she looked back at the driver and sent him a glare so cold, he felt his insides turn to ice. He felt himself shiver as she said glacially, "This one shall not repeat herself. You shall get in the car, you shall drive to the young one's house, and you shall do it now."

"Y-Yes ma'am right away!" McDougal stuttered out fearfully. Rushing to the car and opening the door for her so she could get in the back with the boy before jumping in the front seat, starting the luxury car, and taking off.

* * *

Emiya let out a groan before weakly opening his eyes. As the world came into focus, he found himself staring up at the stoic face of the awoman from the cave, eyes of a dull lifeless dark-green stared back into his own. He felt her hand moving mechanically through his hair, and from his location he could tell he was sitting laying with his head in her lap.

"You're awake." She said tonelessly.

Nodding slightly he replied "I am, where are we?"

Looking out to her left she responded in the same monotone "In the same vehicle you arrived in. Currently, it is heading to your house."

He tried to sit up upon hearing that, only to be forced back down by the woman who said "You are in no condition to move Chú fèng, right now you are dangerously low on Qi. This Luo Hao Cuilian demands you rest."

He didn't have the strength to resist her so he settled for talking instead. Saying, "I don't know who you are, or why they chose you of all people...but I'm sorry for your loss."

He then looked away politely so that this evidently proud woman would not have to be seen crying by him. Yet he could still hear the sniffles and feel it when the tears impacted his face from his place on her lap. The only sound in the back was of her nearly silent tears and occasional incoherent mutterings. Then it was all quiet and he turned back to face her only to find her stony-faced and simmering with anger.

"I will kill them all, I will hunt down each and every single of their family members, their friends, their associates, no matter how weak the connection I will find it.a All connected to this cult shall die by the hand of me, Luo Hao Cuilian." She swore in white hot anger, only to blink in surprise when she felt her hand being grabbed by a much smaller one.

Looking down she found Chu fèng as she called him staring up at her intently. He held her gaze for a moment before saying "I think you should rest and recuperate before you go on a killing spree."

Seeing her about to protest he said, "I'm not saying don't kill them. Kill em all! They deserve it, heck I'll help if you want, just do it when you're at full strength. Do it after you've had time to properly recover from your ordeal… and to properly grieve."

Sighing the Luo Hao replied "You speak with wisdom beyond your years Chú fèng. I thank you for talking sense into this brash and upset Luo Hao Cuilian before she did irreparable damage to her reputation."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, it's the week before Christmas, I think you going on a murderous rampage would kill the holiday spirit." He joked back.

"Ah yes, Christmas. I never celebrated the holiday myself." She noted absently.

This threw him for a loop. "Really? Well there's a first time for everything, seeing as you'll be spending the holiday with me."

"Yes I sup-"She blinked and looked down at him bemused "Oh, this Luo Hao shall, shall she?"

Glaring back defiantly he said, "Yes, you will. You've gone through something no one should have to go through. So, until I say otherwise, you're stuck with me lady."

"Tch, your tongue is as sharp as your blades Chú fèng. Very well for your act of heroism and to prevent you from worrying about this Luo Hao too much, she has decided she shall stay with you for the holidays." She declared imperiously as if she was granting him a great boon.

"Thank you oh so much your highness." He replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Missing his sarcasm she replied "You are most welcome Chú fèng, but this Luo Hao prefers being called Your Eminence."

Frowning a little, he asked, "Why do you keep calling me that? Not that I mind, but I am curious."

"What, what has this magnificent Luo Hao done to confuse your young mind?" she inquired.

Feeling his strength return he sat up and asked "Chu fèng, you keep calling me that and I don't even know what it means."

Understanding dawned in the woman's eyes and she replied "It is Chinese for Young Phoenix. I call you that because I watched your battle against that Divine Beast and recall the flaming phoenix wings you used time and time again in your final attack."

He nodded feeling his head swim before he slumped in the seat, his head resting on her shoulder. "Sorry, still out of it I guess." He muttered.

Staring out the window at the snow covered trees and homes they drove past, the Freakishly Strong Girl of China replied "It is no problem Chú fèng."

Suddenly the car pulled into a driveway and the little window separating the back from the front of the car rolled down and McDougal said "We've arrived at the young man's home ma'am."

Emiya's eyes suddenly snapped open. Though he still couldn't move all that well he managed to raise his head and say "Luo Hao, none of my family members know about magic so keep quiet about what actually happened, ok?"

The Campione of China locked eyes with him for a minute. She thought about ignoring his request to keep magic hidden. After all, why should she have to hide parts of her magnificent self? But upon seeing the look of reluctant pleading enter her Chú Fèng's eyes, she relented. Though she had not known him long, Luo Hao had learned much by watching his fight with the Divine Beast. He had a distinct lack of pride in his weapons, bringing them forth and casting them aside as needed to bring him but one step closer to victory. No tactic was too underhanded for one such as him, she knew and the way he fought spoke volumes of a keen intellect and he possessed an even sharper tongue to go along with his wit.

So for him to plead for her silence with his eyes meant this was necessary to her little hero. Paramount in fact. Sighing theatrically, she said "Very well, Chú fèng, this Luo Hao shall hide her true immaculateness' from your kin. Leave the tale of your heroics to Luo Hao Cuilian."

"Thanks…uh, sorry to ask this of you, but can you help me to the front door? I still can't move my legs too well," he asked awkwardly.

Sighing again she said, "This Luo Hao shall assist you, be honored by receiving my touch."

"Uh-huh." He replied rolling his eyes.

* * *

He couldn't help but stare when he saw the house. It wasn't that it was rebuilt already, no, he'd expected that. No, what shocked him was the fact that his old home was an exact replica of the Emiya Estate. From the position of the shed to the house, to the color of the tiles on the roof, it was an exact duplicate.

_'__Root, are you fucking with me right now?'_ he thought.

He could've sworn he'd heard the sound of a woman giggling, but it might've just been the wind. He reached the door with Chinese Campione all but carrying him on her shoulder. Taking out a key he kept in his pocket, he unlocked the front door. Letting in both a flurry of snowflakes as well as himself and Luo Hao while calling "Kaa-san, Tou-san, Shizuka-chan I'm home!"

His voice echoed throughout the house, and for a moment, he thought no one was home. Then, the sound of running feet could be heard along with the voices of both of his parents telling his little sister not to run in the house.

He heard Shizuka long before he saw her, as she was yelling "Onii-chan, your back! I've missed you so much, how have you been?a Did you have fun at that school...**Are YOU OK!?"** She yelled upon seeing him all but slumped over an unknown woman both of them covered in dirt and filth.

Her concerned cry quickly brought not only both of his parents but his grandparents as well. Upon seeing their son and the unknown older woman both covered in dirt, blood, and grime, the adults immediately went forward to help the two. The women taking Luo Hao, and Ichirou and Genzou catching the young magus before he fell on his face.

"Godou-kun what happened?" Ichirou asked concernedly.

And his mother added "And who is this woman you brought home. Does she need a doctor?"

Luo Hao then spoke up saying "There is nothing a doctor can do for me anymore. But if you want to know what your heroic son and I have gone through, might I suggest we head inside first? It's rather chilly in the foyer."

"Of course, of course, dear right this way. Let's get you both settled in with a cup of tea." Chiyo said motioning for her daughter to help her get the woman situated in the living room, with Ichirou and Genzou doing the same for him.

Soon enough, the two weary souls had steaming cups of dragon pearl jasmine tea sitting in front of them and Emiya noted that while the new house looked the same on the outside, internally it was different. The living room, for example, had a westernized feel to it. Sporting a fireplace which was currently roaring, an oak coffee table, and half a dozen overstuffed armchairs, two of which he and Luo Hao were now occupying.

Sitting in a chair of her own Mayo gazed back and forth between her son and this mysterious woman in concern. She made note of the blood and dirt covering them both, the woman being so caked in it that at first she took her for a beggar until she talked. No beggar spoke as eloquently as that. So that begged the question, just who was she and how were she and her son he connected?

Before she could ask what happened her daughter beat her to it, asking worriedly "Onii-chan, what happened for you to get so beat up like this? And who's this Onee-chan?"

Briefly locking eyes with Shizuka Luo Hao immediately understood why he wanted to keep magic a secret. In Shizuka's eyes, she saw such a pure child-like innocence the likes of which she hasn't seen in anyone. Even in her own eyes growing up, as she always sought greater power and skill in martial arts. This led her to lose her child-like perception of the world. As, in seeking more powerful opponents, she saw the evils humanity was capable of. Even her Young Eagle didn't have eyes like hers.

No, she would not tarnish such innocence, in fact, she too would take up Chú fèng's crusade and protect it. And in doing so elevate her esteem of her brother to new heights.

And so smiling at the six-year-old she said, "You should be proud of your elder brother little one for he saved my life."

"Eh, saved your life?" she said becoming wide-eyed and moving closer in her chair towards the Chinese Campione.

"Oh yes, he was being driven home when he saw me being drugged and dragged into the alley but some Low birth ruffians. Ordering his driver to stop, and came to my defense. But the men were armed and they threatened him with knives, yet he did not back down. He fought them off with little more than a weapon of opportunity, a rusted pipe of all things. Then, after they had run off, the drugs they'd given me sent me into labor prematurely…Your son got me to a hospital, but my child didn't make it. He was only four and a half months along! And, and not wanting to leave me alone, he brought me back here!" she said, tearing up again.

Though the story may have been false her pain at losing her child was real, Emiya could feel it, and so put a comforting hand on her. So could both his mother and grandmother, as they crowded around her, offering their condolences and saying she could stay as long as she needed to. After she had calmed down, Mayo said soothingly "You can stay as long as you like. For now, why don't you go take a bath and freshen up dear? It'll relax you. And I should be able to scrounge up some old clothes of mine for you by the time you get out."

"Yes, that sounds…yes," Luo Hao replied standing up as Mayo began to lead her to the bathroom. Only to stop, turn back, look at Emiya and say "Thank you, Chú fèng , this Luo Hao truly does appreciate your help."

She then left and both Genzou and Ichirou clapped him on his shoulders and Genzou said "I'm proud of you boy, you did the right thing."

"Did I?" he asked into his teacup.

Confused Ichirou asked, "Why do you feel like you didn't Godou-kun?"

Shrugging he replied "I saved her yeah, but…"

"You couldn't save the child too." Ichirou guessed.

Seeing him nod Ichirou said sympathetically "I know it hurts Godou-kun, but you did all you could, and you managed to save someone."

Looking up at his grandfather he asked, "Then why do I still feel like a failure Jiji?"

Ichirou had no real answer for his grandson, this was usually a lesson one learns by losing a pet, not a human life he was trying to save. All he could do was say "It'll get better with time Godou-kun, it'll get better with time."

Emiya already knew that wasn't really true, in fact, the opposite was true. Sins and regrets would only mount with time. But all he could bring himself to say was "I hope your right Jiji."

* * *

Later that night after a rigorous bathing and hearty meal, Emiya lay awake in bed, unable to fall asleep due to the events of earlier today. No matter how he looked at it, he just didn't feel he did enough. He knew the child was already dead before he arrived, but he still felt responsible. He heard his door open and close and assumed Shizuka was trying to sneak into his bed as she enjoyed cuddling with him and he had been absent for six months.

Yet, he was in no mood for company tonight. So when he rolled over to tell her to go back to her own room, all he could bring himself to say was "You're not Shizuka."

Sitting next to his bed in seiza position was Luo Hao. She was wearing a white sleeping kimono, her now washed silky black hair undone and pooling on the floor behind her as her hands were clasped in her lap, her dark-green eyes looked at him pleadingly.

Sitting up in bed he asked, "Is something wrong, Luo Hao?"

Fidgeting with her hands for a moment the Chinese Campione replied "This Luo Hao would like to know if she could sleep with you tonight."

Both eyebrows rising he replied dubiously "Uh, I'm flattered. But I'm only ten, I don't think I could do that even if I wanted to."

"Luo Hao does not want for you to misunderstand and think less of her! She just…does not wish to be alone when she sleeps. While she was…**_held captive_**-" she spits like some vile curse-"She was confined to a bed, weak the entire time. Rarely was Luo Hao lucid. But she could always feel, and she always felt weak and helpless, bound to the bed all by herself. Except for those times when **_that man_** would come and touched her." She said with even more poison than before.

"I understand," Emiya said not needing her to elaborate any further and pulling his sheets aside and scooting over while patting the free space on his mattress.

Giving him a silent nod of thanks, she scooted onto the bed. Emiya threw the blankets around them both and then turned his back to her respectfully, only to feel Luo Hao put an arm around him and pull him into her chest like a child-sized teddy bear. He felt her breath in his hair as she breathed in and out through her nose before saying contentedly "Goodnight Chú fèng."

"Night Luo Hao." He replied.

Both magus and Campione finally fell into a fit and dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Chapter Length: 19,087 words – Date Completed: 5/28/15**

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**AN: Well just like last chap, this one is done a week ahead of schedule. For the record, I do not write chapters ahead of time and then post them weeks later. Whenever I get a chapter done and my Beta's give me the green light on it, I post it. I'm just saying that because a couple of people seem to be confused about how I do things. Anyway now for the important bits.**

**#1: This chapter was kinda heavy and dealt with things rarely touched on in Fan Fiction, I hope this offends no one but this was something I've wanted to do and I hope you can respect that.**

**#2: I hope you liked the fight scene as it's a prototype of how I see Heretic God fights going the 'Multi-stage boss fight' way of things as it allows for long descriptive fights and the Heretic Gods get to show off their stuff.**

**#3: Emiya DID NOT become a Campione this Chap! I'm just stating it now because someone is bound to not see where I said that the God was weakened due to Emiya fuggin' up the ritual thus it doesn't count. It took all he had at his current level just to beat a Divine Beast which is pretty impressive for a ten-year-old.**

**#4: Lastly and MOST IMPORTANTLY: The next chapter will more than likely be later than usual as I will be going on vacation with the family from the 5****th****to the 12****th****of next month I'm letting you know here so I don't get Guest Reviews saying "Update!" or whatever.**

**Anyway till the next chap everyone, Bubbajack, Diller, and William Wiltrose out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Youngest Campione**

**By Bubbajack**

**Betas: Diller/Grammarly/William Wiltrose**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FSN or Campione, they belong to their respective owners.**

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**Ch.4: Life and times with Luo Hao.**

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The fight against the Roman God Silvanus was irksome to her. She used her Dragon's Roar. A mass of trees, the size of skyscrapers shielded him from total annihilation. Using this authority continuously decreased her qi reserves the longer she used it as well as straining her voice. Knowing a fruitless endeavor when she saw one, she ceased using **_[Dragon's Roar]_** and switched to using **_[Divine Might of Vajrapani]._**

**"****Great force is exerted! A great force vanquishes a small evil!" **She intoned turning her fists into organic diamond and she gained godly strength.

Using her newly acquired might and Shukuchi, she dashed towards the mass of trees and began burrowing her way towards the Heretic God, throwing her punches faster than a sports car's pistons could hope to move. Wood chips and sawdust coated the air as she continued pummeling her way through Silvanus's fortress of timber. Occasionally she would crush a Venus fly trap or vine that dared try to impede her from reaching her natural foe. With one last punch, she blasted through the tree.

Or so she thought, for what she found surprised her slightly. As it turned out, the tree wasn't one massive tree, but it was hollow inside with lush grass under foot, and shafts of sunlight streaming down from holes further up in the wood. There, in the center of the grove like area sat Silvanus on a throne made of intertwining tree roots. He possessed skin the color of bark, was stern of the jaw, with a wild black beard and almost feral green eyes. Clad in a purple toga, with a wreath of olive branches adorning his brow. He gazed at her impassively his fingers steepled in front of him as he gazed at her, like an animal judging his next meal or a warrior sizing up a worthy opponent.

Finally, he spoke in a slow deep timbre like that of boughs swaying in the wind, **"Godslayer, have you come to attempt me from correcting human ignorance?"**

Deciding to humor the Heretic God she asked, "This Luo Hao Cuilian would know what ignorance you wish to correct."

Sitting straight-backed on his throne of roots the plant God replied **"The human ignorance that they think they can keep taking from the earth and continue to survive. Every year, hundreds of acres of trees are cut down for useless purposes, and every year the air becomes more polluted with filth. If Earth is to see the next century come, then something must be done. The trees must be allowed to fLuorish anew. And the cancer known as humanity…"** He paused before saying, **"Must be lanced off the face of the planet."**

"While this Luo Hao understands your frustrations, she will not allow you to end her subjects!" She stated imperiously.

"I expected no less from a bastard child of Epimetheus," Silvanus said with a knowing nod before saying "Stop me if you can Campione!"

No more words needed to be exchanged between the two natural enemies and none were, all that mattered now to each of them was the destruction of the other. The Heretic God struck first, lashing out with constructs of wood in the shape of spears. They came from the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. From in front, above, behind, and below all at once, for a brief moment, the Heretic God thought he had slain his mortal foe, for he didn't see her move, nor did he notice her use any form of magic to escape his trap. But his thoughts were cut short when he felt a spike in magical energy coming from the mass of brambles and thorns that was the impaling cage he'd created around the Campione.

Seconds later, a burst of fire blew the Campione's would-be coffin apart, and, standing amidst the charred remains and cinders was the one who called herself Luo Hao. Her hands were now ablaze with flame and sporting several cuts and scrapes across her form, a scowl on her face and her gaze was sharp as she glared at him. After a moment, she said, "If you wish to fight like a coward, then this Luo Hao Cuilian sees no point in holding back and giving you an honorable death." She then intoned "**_The sword unsheathed, grassland turns into the forest! Sky, earth, wind, cLuods, the lion king, seeks domination! Trodding tirelessly along the hero's endless path, approaching the supreme pinnacle of the martial way! Twelve Divine Palm Strikes of the Phoenix!"_**

Her diamond encrusted hand then blazed ruby red. Flames leaped from her forearms like phoenix wings, and in the haze created by the technique the image of a phoenix could be seen standing defiantly behind the Campione. Its wings formed from the flames coming from Luo Hao's arms.

Silvanus, now faced with his natural weakness, of fire, attempted to destroy the Campione before him, lest she bring his plans to ruin. Again, he sent a mass plant life at her. This time it took the form of a massive sixty-meter long dragon, its back covered with moss, its claws and maw made of hard brown bark, and wings made out of boughs in full bloom. The construct had let loose a mighty roar before it dove towards the Campione. And, like yin and yang both dragon and phoenix prepared to clash.

Luo Hao started down the silvakinetic construct, unimpressed. Yet she decided to meet it with appropriate force, as a King should. As the dragon drew near, it opened its maw, letting loose a putrid stench of death and saliva fly from its mouth. Where the goo landed, holes scorched the ground showing it was acidic. As the creature bore down on her, the Master of the Martial Realm calmly and with the skill of centuries of experience, lashed out with a single flame and Authority enhanced palm.

A deafening boom filled the air like thunder, and the strike stopped the beast dead in its tracks. Then, a crack appeared on the wooden dragon's snout, beneath Luo Hao's fist. The break rapidly spread and fractured off all along the beasts' body and flames followed soon after. Then, just as the splintering reached the wall where the Draconian construct emerged, flames licking at its heels, it exploded into innumerable shards. Some of which embedded themselves in her form.

But Her Eminence ignored such trivial things like pain for the moment. Instead, she calmly walked forwards like a conquering hero of legend, intent on giving the merciful death blow to her beaten opponent. Never mind the fact that the Heretic God had yet to actually be defeated, for to one like Luo Hao Cuilian, such an end was merely a foregone conclusion to their confrontation.

She saw the glint of fear and desperation mix with the natural arrogance that was oh so common for a Heretic God appear in Silvanus' eyes. More wooden spears and dragon constructs were flung in her direction, yet the Campione was unconcerned. She walked boldly forwards, a look of contempt entering her eyes as she destroyed the same old tricks that had been used on her previously with naught but a contemptuous flick of her hands. A look of anger adorned her beautiful features as she found a thick wall of poisonous brambles blocking her path to the throne.

Not only did her enemy refuse to fight her directly, honorably, but now when all was lost, instead of dying with dignity as one of his station should, he hid like a coward!

_'__Unforgivable.'_ The Master of Martial Realm had thought to herself before she crushed the wall of thorns beneath her divinity enhanced fists _'This insult to my pride as a King is unforgivable!'_

She finally stood before Silvanus only to find him cowering on his throne, putting his hands up in submission and all but begging for mercy. Luo Hao was disgusted by the display, and said as much, saying "You are a disgrace to your fellow Heretic Gods! You are a coward, a cretin, unworthy of dying by the hand of my illustrious self. The only reason I will still end your miserable existence is because it is my one duty as a King, and a King does not shirk their responsibility." She finished with proud elegance.

A spark of fury kindled in the Heretic Gods eyes upon hearing his mortal enemies' words. But with that fury, also came a cunning smirk as Silvanus said **"Foolish woman, don't you know not to trust the serpent in the garden?"**

It happened suddenly. Silvanus' skin lost all color, becoming ashen and pale before his body stretched as if it were a piece of rubber before bursting to shread's at the head, revealing what lay beneath. Silvanus had become a giant serpent. One two hundred meters long, with scales of motely brown and mossy green, its teeth, as long as a man is tall, each dripping with all of natures poisons and sharp as a saber. But the most drawing feature was its eyes. Large, round, and glowing a luminous yellow like that of a hunter's moon, they were marred only by the catlike black silted pupils. The Earth God had transformed into the King of Serpents, a Basilisk.

Luo Hao showed no fear as the great snake reared up and glared down at her. It's death dealing gaze doing little more than fatiguing her. Instead, she smiled and said "So, you finally decided to fight me honorably have you? Very well, I shall meet you with appropriate force."

She then jumped forward utilizing Shukuchi, disappearing in a burst of speed only to reappear right in front of the surprised Serpent King's face with her fist cocked and prepared to strike. The snake met her head on, rearing back before lashing out with its envenomed fangs, each of which was as hard as diamond and sharper than obsidian. Her diamond-hard flame encased fists impacted with the roof of the Serpent Kings mouth. Shattering a decent portion of its teeth and giving her space to punch a cauterized hole clean through its palate, brain, and skull using her remaining nine strikes.

She landed while the Heretic God's body collapsed before breaking into innumerable motes of light that sped towards her body. As she touched the ground she stumbled, something one such as herself never did as it would be unbecoming. Then she noticed a slight haze at the edge of her vision. _'What is this?'_

Then she felt it, burning pain coming from her side. Glancing down, she found three fangs of the Basilisk embedded in her left side, the poison coating them granting them a glistening sheen of death. She pulled them out one by one dropping them to the ground where they disintegrated into dust and became a part of her own being. But that did nothing to stop the divine poison coursing through her veins at the moment. She was about to perform a ritual to purge the poison from her body at the cost of much of her qi, only for her innate battle senses to pique. Spinning on her heel, she caught a tranquilizer dart in between her index and middle finger.

Looking across the massive expanse through her rapidly blurring vision, she saw them. Each was dressed head to toe in riot gear. Opaque goggles covering their eyes and each had one of those uncivilized weapons, one of those guns, a rifle she believed the longer ones were called, pointed right at her. They swarmed into the hole she made by the hundreds and opened fire on sight. The Master of the Martial Realm was enraged at the sight.

_'__How-how dare these ants, these mere insects challenge me! ME?! The Magnificent Luo Hao Cuilian! This cannot be allowed to stand.'_ She thought imperiously.

And thus, did the Rakshasa Raja enter battle. Refusing to use her divine Authorities on these insects as doing so would sully her pride and irreparably damage her reputation. That was her second mistake. Luo Hao's first mistakewas letting her pride and anger blind her to the fact that she still had divine level poison running through her veins. Her third mistake was twofold, not taking a moment to get rid of said poison, and not realizing the depths soldiers with a cause deemed holy would go to achieve their goals.

They charged her without rhyme or reason, uncaring about the fact that the Campione was tearing their comrades asunder with a flick of her fingers or a mere motion of her feet. Within a matter of minutes, the ground became muddied by the sheer gallons of blood spilled. Yet the soldiers continued to pour into the space, climbing over the corpses of their fallen, and firing their guns all the while. Soon there was no hint of the earthen floor that once existed in the spacious cavern. Corpses became the new floor, in the center of the room a small hill of the dead had formed on top of which Luo Hao currently reigned supreme.

But it was not to last. For with every plebian she cast down, two more took their place. And as time wore on, her reaction time began to slow more and more due to the poison burning through her veins. Finally, her pride became her undoing as the Basilisk's venom began to take its toll. First she was merely hit by a single dart in the shoulder…then two… four…eight…sixteen…thirty-two…sixty-four…one-hundred twenty-eight…Finally, with more than two-hundred-fifty-six tranquilizer darts piercing her person, and Divine poison burning through her veins for more than an hour, Luo Hao was forced to take a knee. Panting in exhaustion, her vision fading in and out of focus.

She could only watch as they slowly, cautiously closed in. She was unable to so much as lift her arms because they felt like wet noodles filled with molten lead. But, despite all of that, or perhaps because of it, she glared at her soon to be captors, defiantly not allowing her head drop as she said, "I do believe congratulations are in order. For you have defeated my magnificent self, a clearly superior opponent with little more than vast numbers on your side and determination." A pause before "As such, when I escape, and I shall escape, for no prison can hold a Campione forever, I shall make your deaths swift and painless."

All she knew after that was darkness and the blessing of oblivion, occasionally interrupted by spurts of semi-consciousness where she could hear vague mutterings and feel someone touching her or odd chanting… only for it to once again fade to black.

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Luo Hao awoke with a gasp. Her body tensed and coiled to spring, her eyes flicking around frantically as she prepared to attack, only to find no targets in sight. Instead, she found herself in an ordinary room akin to which one would find in a standard home. It quickly all came back to her and she took several deep breaths allowing herself to relax.

_'__I'm with Chú fèng. It's over, it's over…I'm spending Christmas with Chú fèng,_' She had reminded herself before she wondered aLuod "I wonder what the traditions of Christmas entail?"

"Traditionally, it involves the trading of gifts with one's friends and loved ones," a familiar voice replied.

Turning to the door, the Master of the Martial Realm was pleasantly surprised to already find Chú fèng up and fully dressed. Clad in dark jeans and a red wife beater shir, in his hands he was carrying a tray on which the smells of breakfast wafted to her nose, making her stomach grumble in a most undignified manner.

Smiling at her kindly, he said, "Well, looks like someone's hungry. Then again, it's not surprising considering all you've been through. I hope a Western breakfast is alright with you, it's what I made everyone else to eat this morning," He told her before setting the tray down in front of her.

Looking at the contents of the tray, Luo Hao found a fluffy yellow omelet that appeared to have sausage in it, three slices of buttered toast, and a cup of green tea set before her. Picking up a pair of wooden chopsticks, China's Freakishly Strong Girl began to sample the food of her young host. She was pleasantly surprised to find it tasted as spectacular as her own meals even if they weren't as aesthetically pleasing as her own.

"You are quite the little chef aren't you Chú fèng?" the King of China said with a bit of humor after taking the first bite of her meal.

Shrugging from where he was sitting on a swivel chair, he replied, "I taught myself to cook from a young age. My parents were both busy with their jobs and I didn't feel like starving to death."

Nodding in a sage-like manner Luo Hao replied, "You are self-sufficient. A valuable skill to be sure."

True…Well, after your finished eating we'd best get ready to go." The former Counter Guardian told her.

"Go, go where Chú fèng?" she inquired curiously.

"Christmas shopping of course. We need to buy presents, or I do at the very least. I doubt anyone will be expecting gifts from you. Seeing as you're a guest and all." he told her.

A glint entered her forest green eyes as the Campione replied, "Luo Hao shall not be thought of as stingy by her guests. Such would tarnish my reputation. So I too shall be going gift shopping with you."

"Ok, but do you have any money to buy presents with? Cause, last I checked you had no cash." The boy pointed out.

The Enlightened Brawler opened her mouth to tell him that as a Campione, she could merely **_take _**whatever it was she desired. Only to think better of it. _'After all, if he knew of my status he may start groveling and not only would that be quite unbecoming of my rescuer, it would also harm my reputation if word got out that, as his guest, I made him prostrate himself as such. An alternate solution then,'_ she thought.

Turning to her young savior she asked "Ne Chú fèng, could I by chance borrow your phone for a minute?"

And thus, did the Cult of Five Mountains find out that their leader was alive. All because of a phone call to one 'Young Eagle' demanding a credit card be sent to the closest bank in the City of Tokyo from the District of Wakoku.

After she had completed her phone call, she found the young Kusanagi staring at her with his eyebrow raised. Seeing the look she was being given, she asked, "What has my magnificent self-done to confound you this time Chú fèng?"

"Luo Hao be honest with me…are you in organized crime?" He asked her bluntly.

The Master of the Martial Realm blinked once, twice, and then she threw her head back and laughed. The sound of her laughter sounded like the tinkling of wind chimes in a gale to Emiya's ears, and quite a pleasant sound to hear.

After she had settled down she said, "Ah, thank you Chú fèng I needed that. No, no I am not a part of those lowly Triads. But I do hold much influence and power. I'm a…martial arts teacher of such renown and skill that not even the Triads dare challenge my ability for fear of losing face."

Giving an appreciative whistle, he thought, '_Well that explains the massive amounts of od I feel from her. According to ancient legends; martial artists could do everything from flying to teleportation, to God knows what else. Hmm, well it's worth a shot.'_

"Would you be willing to teach me a thing or two while you're here?" He asked, bowing ever so slightly at the waist.

"Of course." She then noticed something when he had trouble straightening. "Chú fèng why haven't you restored your qi yet? That was a long hard fought battle yesterday and for you to go around without full reserves should something happen would be foolish." She chastised.

"Well, I would refill my reserves…if I knew how to." He replied feeling somewhat sheepish.

"What?" Luo Hao deadpanned while giving the young boy a glare to match her tone as she continued. "Do you mean to tell me that whoever taught you how to fight never bothered to show you the fundamental basics of restoring your own spiritual energy beforehand?"

Little did the Campione know that she had just touched a nerve. For Emiya said defensively, "Well in the defense of my teachers, the first one didn't even want to teach me magic. And only did so after I bugged him for quite a time about it. Even then he was terminally ill so he probably couldn't have taught me how to gather magical energy even if he wanted to. My second teacher I met during a time of conflict, and she was more concerned about teaching me how to fight and keeping me alive, seeing as she knew little about magic. Then after all of that, it didn't seem too important as I had other things to worry about."

Closing her eyes and nodding the leader of the Cult of Five Mountains said calmly, "I see…and where did a child get involved in such conflict at such a young age?"

It was then that Emiya realized he had said too much. "I uh-"

It was Luo Hao who answered for him in a manner of speaking, "You're an Old Soul aren't you Kusanagi Godou? Tell me, just how old are you **_really_**?"

Seeing no point in lying to her, he said bluntly "Depends on what you mean if you say at the time of my death? Thirty-five. If you say what came after for me…I lost track sometime after the tenth millennia."

"I see. And despite your age and experience, you still seek training from me?" The Campione asked, for the first time in many centuries feeling humble just by being in another's presence. _'The things he must have seen, the opponents he must've fought.' _The idea of fighting him made her giddy with excitement.

"Yep, mainly because I have no idea how magic works around here." He replied.

"I see, a stranger in a strange land then." She said with a slight laugh.

Sighing he said "Quite, but let's shelf this for now and get going, we have presents to shop for. I brought you some warm clothes to change into as it started to snow sometime last night. I'll leave you to change…"

He then got up and made for the door taking the tray with him only to stop in shock when Luo Hao shed her Yukata from last night without any hint of shame. Fully exposing her voluptuous figure to him before she stood and began donning the clothes he'd brought for her. The shameless Campione quickly dressed in the provided panties and bra before pulling on a salmon-colored turtleneck, black wool stockings, and a pair of charcoal washed jeans.

"Why?" Was all Emiya could say after she was finished.

"I was merely getting changed, what is the problem?" The Campione asked genuinely flummoxed.

He wanted to tell her that what she just did was technically indecent exposure to a minor, but honestly, he wasn't really all that young, or that innocent. After all, it wasn't like she had just showed him something he'd never seen before. And so he just sighed and said, "Right of course you were."

Taking another deep breath, he pushed the image of her naked form out of his mind and said, "Thanks, Luo Hao, I really appreciate you helping me. And I hope it goes without saying that what you learned here stays between the two of us yes?"

Smiling kindly she replied, "Of course Chú fèng, for this Luo Hao Cuilian to betray your confidence would undoubtedly-"

"It would ruin your reputation?" he guessed a teasing lit in his tone.

"Indeed," She said completely seriously, missing his teasing "Now let us go forth and attain proper gifts!"

_'__She makes this sound like some kind of epic quest of legend or something…oh well, better to let her have her fun,'_ He thought.

He had no idea just how dangerous shopping with a Campione could be. The poor fool…

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After making a brief stop at a Pursuit Bank where Luo Hao picked up a black card of all things, Emiya was having trouble catching his breath. Due to being run near ragged trying to keep up with Luo Hao. For she dragged him from shop to shop wanting to look at everything. _'I'm beginning to think she's never been in a large city, let alone a shopping mall before.'_

"Luo Hao." He said calmly trying to get her attention.

"Oh, Chú fèng look at this! People are moving on that screen." She said pointing to a television.

"That's a television, Luo Hao. Umm, can we-"He wasn't able to finish as the Freakishly Strong Girl continued to drag him along chattering all the while.

"What's that delicious smell Chú fèng?" She all but demanded while pulling him towards the food court.

She dragged him to a Cinnabon, which was also serving amazake, a traditional weak alcoholic drink in Japan that was used for everything from a dessert to baby formula, and even a hangover cure. Now that she had stopped to ogle the pastries the former Counter Guardian took this chance to say "Luo Hao, if I buy you this, we'll need to go and sit down and eat it. Afterward, we really do need to get some shopping done alright?"

The twentysomething looking woman hopped from foot to foot while nodding rapidly like a child who promised to behave if it meant they could get a cookie later. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her behavior but smirking all the while, he paid for two caramel pecan-bons and two cups of amazake. He then took a tray to a booth and sat down on one side his guest and companion on the other.

"Itadakimasu." They both intoned before digging into their food.

As he ate, he kept a keen eye on his- _'What is she to me anyway?'_ Emiya thought to himself _'An acquaintance, a friend? I suppose sensei would be most accurate.'_

He noticed a look of sorrow cross the martial artists face and decided to do something he sucked at. Asking her if she was ok.

"So Luo Hao, how are you handling…everything?" he asked, resisting the urge to cringe as that sounded lame even to his ears.

But it didn't seem to matter to the Campione as her face became solemn before she gave a sigh and said "I-I had a nightmare of my capture last night. I had to relive being defeated by mere ants and then…and then…" she then let out an aggrieved sigh before turning away and staring off into space.

"It's ok to be angry, most people would be in your situation I expect considering how your pregnancy came about. As for the child, it's a shame I couldn't do more for it, but hopefully it's in a better place now."

A look of understanding crossed the Campione's face before she said, "It seems you misunderstand my anger Chú fèng. I am not upset over the fact that I had a child. I was shocked at the fact that it was not under my terms. That the father was not one who defeated me in honorable combat or even took the field himself at the head of a superior force, but a coward who let others and deception do his fighting for him. To be brought low by such means is shameful. For such a worm to even be in my presence, let alone the father of my child is inconceivable-"

The Campione's voice became low and dangerous as she finished. "But for him to then take that child. **_My _**child, and use it as a catalyst to summon a Heretic God. To deny the world what could have possibly been the one being that could have surpassed my illustrious self…That that is **unforgivable.**"

It was then that Emiya understood. _'She doesn't hate her child, just the father for obvious reasons.'_

"I see, it seems I misjudged you, Luo Hao. You're a real amazing person, to care about a child regardless about how it came about. Also, I think I may owe you an apology."

Cocking her head to the side in confusion the Supreme Martial Artist inquired, "Whatever for my dear Chú fèng?"

"I stole your kill when I took down that malformed Heretic God. Wouldn't you have much rather done the deed yourself?"

Luo Hao stared at him silently for a good long moment before, moving faster than even he could perceive, she swatted him in the temple with her index and middle finger.

"Ow, dare I ask what that was for?"

"That-" Luo Hao said with the slightest hint of annoyance in her tone-"Is for daring to downplay your actions. What you did was nothing less than heroic Chú fèng. You fought the villains', slew the monster, rescued the captured damsel, and found honor and glory on the battlefield. To claim another should take credit for these deeds is detrimental to your own self-worth. And I, as your teacher, shall not have it. Am I understood?"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say oh wise Luo Hao." He replied before replacing the hint of sarcasm in his with that of bitterness. He finished, "But for the record, I hate heroes would like for it to be known that I helped you simply because you needed help. I didn't do it for the honor or the glory. I, in fact, consider those to be terms people use to simply justify killing. Whereas my reasons for doing what I do are far simpler and much more honest."

The transcendent Chinese beauty asked in a whisper, "What might those reasons be Chú fèng?"

"I fight in the hopes of saving other people while also knowing…knowing that not everyone can be saved. For one man's hero is another's villain, and for one person to be happy other must be made sad. For one to live…Another has to die. Heroes, though?" He scoffed in disgust. "They're idealist fools who think they can save everyone. And I know better. Thus, I am no hero."

Luo Hao silently sipped her amazake for a time digesting his words. Finally, she spoke. Saying, "I see, you truly are a hero then Chú fèng regardless of what you say. For warriors seek glory on the battlefield, martial artists honor in defeating powerful opponents, thieves fame and money from raiding tombs, hunters in stalking the greatest prey, and priests in administering to their flock. But heroes, genuine ones of the highest caliber fight for none of these reasons. They are those few, those rare few who rise to fight evil only because they saw something wrong with the world that needed to be righted. I believe you to be one of those…"

She paused for a moment in her impassioned speech before saying in a quieter tone, "Besides no matter what you say from this point forward, you are this Luo Hao's hero. Now, forever, and always."

The former Counter Guardian opened his mouth to speak several times only to close it and open it yet again. Finally, he gave up and sighed, before saying "Let's just go shopping shall we?"

Then, he heard the voice of someone he rather disliked, "I'm sorry Kusanagi-kun, but your Christmas shopping will have to wait."

Biting back a curse and taking a deep breath, the boy turned around plastering a fake smile on his face before he said, "Touma-san, do you want something?"

The glasses wearing ninja smiled serenely before replying, "You should know by now that it's not what I want that matters Kusanagi-kun."

"Right, so what do the Hoff want now?" he asked.

"The Hoff?"

"The Heads of the Four Families. What did you think I meant, David Hasselhoff?" The boy asked.

Laughing awkwardly to hide his confusio, Touma coughed politely before he continued, "Yes, well there is the small matter of you disobeying orders, not checking in with them, and-"

Luo Hao, who had been quiet up till now, decided to make her presence known by saying "And saving my life?"

Touma glanced at her before saying "Did he?" He then turned back to Emiya intent to drag him off to the Seishuunin estate, only to do a quick double take and, paling slightly, babble "A-are y-you?"

"I am exactly who you think I am plebian. Seeing as you saw fit to interrupt our outing, you shall bring us to your lowly Masters forthwith so that I may voice my…**_displeasure_** at being disturbed in person. Now." She snapped when Touma was unable to move due to fear.

"Y-Yes r-right away!" he replied before bowing low at the waist and scurrying away like a frightened field mouse.

After he'd left, she turned and smiled kindly to her little hero only to find him giving her an incredulous deadpan look.

"What?" She asked.

"Don't what me, what the hell was that about?" he retorted pointing a finger at her for emphasis.

"Whatever are you talking about Chú fèng, has the amazake gotten to you? I thought you said it wasn't very strong." She said genuinely worried about him.

Sighing in exasperation, he said, "You know what, never mind. I'm pretty sure I'll find out in a couple of minutes anyway right?"

His only response was for Luo Hao to smile demurely and take another sip of her sake.

_'__Why do I feel like I'm in for a surprise, and potentially not a good one? Oh yeah, cause I have an E-ranked luck stat.'_ The Counter Guardian groused to himself as he followed Luo Hao to the waiting car, Touma bowing and scraping all the while.

* * *

The duo soon found themselves at the Seishuunin estate. Upon passing a perimeter wall enclosed a good ten acres of sakura trees that flanked a stone driveway without even a speck of snow on it. After about five minutes, they found themselves in front of a sprawling traditional Japanese style home that was more than double the size of his own newly rebuilt house. The roof was covered in black lacquered tiles, the walls looked as if they were made of gleaming white marble, and the front door was made of rice paper covered in black lacquered wood. And all the windows were specially constructed to display the kanji for Great (豪).

"Conceited much Ran-san?" Emiya muttered to himself.

Much to his surprise, he found the Heads of the Four Families as well as Ena, Karou, Fuyuhime, and Mikihiko were all dressed in the finest kimono's he'd ever seen. Each was of dyed black silk that was covered in golden sigils to the point that the black silk was almost unnoticeable. As the car came to a stop, the Heads and Heirs bowed at the waist until they were bent at forty-five-degree angles. Unable to resist such an opportunity, he hopped out of the car and said "Now, now, no need to bow for my sake everyone. I appreciate the thought, though."

"We are not bowing for your benefit boy, but for hers." Seishuunin Ran all but hissed in a whisper.

Emiya figured this out already, but he wanted answers so he played dumb, something he was naturally gifted in. He said, "Who, Luo Hao? What's so special about her?"

This caused the Seishuunin Clan Head to look up at him in shock and say "You honestly don't know who she is? What she is?"

"Nope, why don't you enlighten me, Seishuunin?"

"She's-"Ran was cut off by the regal voice of Luo Hao herself who replied from behind. "I am a Campione. One who has claimed kingship over this world by defeating a Heretic God in combat, gaining Divine Authority. I am the great Luo Hao Cuilian, and leader of the Magic Association of the Cult of the Five Holy Mountains, and Master of the Martial Realm. And I would very much like to know what you simpletons were thinking. Daring to summon me! A Campione, as well as my protégé like some common riffraff!" she finished that final sentence by blasting a fair amount of killing intent that brought them all to their knees sans Emiya himself. For though she was impressive she was nothing compared to the sheer animalistic bloodlust of the Black Giant.

Instead, he turned to her and stated calmly "First, tone down the Ki or you're going to kill them before they can answer you. Second, if you expect me to bow to you, you're out of your damn mind, for I bow to no one. And lastly, since when was I your protégé?"

The feeling of bloodlust and pressure dissipated as the Campione turned to the indignant ten-year-old and said "I do not expect you to bow to me unless I'm training you. Speaking of which, you were protégé as of a few scant hours ago when I decided to help you fix that problem of yours."

"Whatever you say **_sensei_**. Can we go inside now, because it's cold out here."

"Ach, that tongue of yours is as sharp as any blade in your possession! But I agree, let us head inside. I do hope your explanation is _acceptable_…" Luo Hao said before walking into the Seishuunin estate letting them just imagine what would happen if she decided it wasn't.

* * *

Emiya had to admit he was enjoying himself. Watching everyone else twitch every time Luo Hao so much as breathed deeply made him chuckle. He sipped at the high-grade sake he'd been served, but found he didn't enjoy it as much as the amazake he was drinking with Luo Hao earlier. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but the sake he was drinking now just had an aftertaste of vinegar to it, ruining the drink for him. Whereas the amazake by contrast had both vanilla and cinnamon mixed into it, making it all around enjoyable.

Glancing at Luo Hao he could tell that she didn't enjoy this drink as well either. Wanting to get this show on the road, as well as save himself and his new master from having to drink any more of this swill, Emiya cleared his throat and said, "So, what did you want Ran-san?"

Clearing her throat awkwardly Ran began, "We called this meeting as we wished to inquire about certain things regarding your mission to Aokigahara?"

"Ask away, but make it quick, Luo Hao and I have Christmas shopping to do." He told her honestly.

Giving the ten-year-old her best fake smile, the Seishuunin said, "Yes, of course. Firstly, why did you disobey our orders and assault the cave where some kind of ritual took place?"

In response, Emiya chuckled and said, "You seem confused, Ran-san. Let me just clarify that I don't answer to you people. I chose to help you because, at the time, it was in the best interests of me and my friends seeing as we were surrounded on all sides by potentially hostile forces and an hour from the nearest town. I chose to help Fuyuhime because I'm just not that big of an asshole, and I thought at the time, that it would be a good idea to make friends in high places. No offense meant Fuyuhime."

This caused the Renjou princess to nod, completely understanding his reasoning. After all when they first met, she was…a bitch for a lack of a better term. "None taken, Shujin. Were I in your position at the time, I likely would have done the same if it meant survival."

"You really don't need to call me master Fuyuhime." He told her calmly before he gave her a questioning look and asked "You do mean master and not husband right…right, Oi!?" he asked when all she did was look at him slyly and smile.

Suddenly, Luo Hao was in front of the Renjou heiress, examining her like a scientist would a rare insect or unknown strain of bacteria. Sitting up straighter and nervously clearing her throat, Fuyuhime asked, "Can I assist you, Your Highness?"

"So you are Chú fèng's apprentice?" she said more to herself than the girl before her.

"Y-yes that's r-right. We're it not for him, it is unlikely I would be able to perform magic at all. I owe him a great debt." She said as the Campione slowly circled her never removing her hawk-like gaze from the heiress.

Coming full circle, she stopped and nodded sagely saying "You chose your apprentices well, Chú fèng."

"I don't remember asking for your approval, but thanks." He replied in a teasing tone, a gratified smile on his face. For in truth, he was glad the martial arts mistress approved of his apprentice. Would he voice that? Hell no, he was far too cynical for that. But he appreciated it all the same.

Turning on her heel and crossing her arms over her chest, China's Freakishly Strong Girl huffed "Tch, that cheek of yours. I should discipline you for it, I really should." She said even though the smile on her face implied she intended to do nothing of the sort.

"Anyway, next question." He said motioning towards Ran.

Flustered from being ignored for so long, it took her a moment to gather her thoughts and ask, "What exactly happened in that cave? We found traces but nothing concrete. Also, what does Her Eminence Luo Hoa have to do with it?"

He gave the Campione a sideways glance, silently asking if it was ok for him to speak about this. Yet the Campione shook her head in response. And so he said, "Sorry, but what happened in that cave is something Luo Hao asked me to keep quiet about, and I'm going to honor her request. If you want, you can try demanding answers out of her, though." He finished with an uncaring shrug.

Ran gave the Campione a nervous glance. The Master of the Martial Realm started back steadily and defiantly, daring her to try and demand anything from her with her gaze alone. After a few brief seconds, the Seishuunin looked away before saying "Moving on. This would usually be the point where we reprimand you for your failure to follow orders, refusal to divulge information, and failure to let us know that a Campione had entered our domain. However, due to the circumstances and all the goodwill you have shown to members of the History Compilation Committee over the past few months, we have decided to let you off with a warning instead."

_'__In other words, Ena, Karou, and Fuyuhime argued in my defense which probably didn't mean squat until I showed up with a Campione. Someone they would have to be mentally unstable to try to piss off.'_ He thought while doing his best not to smirk.

Instead he bowed, not enough to show respect to one's superior but as if he considered them his equals, an intentional slight on his part. He then spoke in a tone that just oozed faux-respect "I **_sincerely_** thank the elders for their **_kind _**and **_tender mercy_** on my behalf."

All of the Elders narrowed their eyes, at his words but said nothing. He then turned to the heirs and said "So, anything particular Christmas gifts I should be looking for, for any of you?"

The heir's collectively blinked in surprise, not expecting this at all. Fuyuhime recovered first, however. Smiling warmly she replied "You've done enough for me already Shushi, you don't need to get me a Christmas gift on top of everything you've already done for me."

The other Family Heir's voiced similar responses, prompting the Alaya's former Beast to reply, "Surprise it is then. Speaking of, we should probably get back to the mall now eh Luo Hao?"

"Agreed, but before I go, I shall leave you Elders with a warning…Do not threaten my Chú fèng. Do not think about ordering him around. You do not own him."

"Or my friends." he added.

"Or his friends. He is mine!-" The Campione declared

"Yea-Wait, what?" the boy deadpanned, as Luo Hao continued on, seemingly not hearing him.

"-And thus, he and his, are under my protection. If something happens to him or his and I hear of it…I will do something very unpleasant…**_very_** unpleasant. Am I understood?"

As one, the Elders assumed the Dogeza position, bowing from the seiza position until their foreheads touched the floor. Once this was done, they all spoke at once saying "Yes, Campione-sama!"

"Good. Chú fèng what was the name of the man that drove us here?" she inquired.

"Amakasu Touma." He supplied.

"Yes, him. We shall be borrowing him for a bit, as we require someone to drive us around, as well as carry our bags. What are such people called in this day and age Chú fèng?"

"Some people use the term Manservant or Butler, but I prefer Butt Monkey myself." He replied with a smirk.

"Butt Monkey? Very well. Come Chú fèng, come Butt Monkey, we have presents to buy." She had said before she left the room, leaving Touma and Emiya to follow in her wake.

"Butt Monkey, Kusanagi-kun? Do you really hate me that much?" Touma asked with a depressive sigh.

Glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye, he replied, "I don't hate you Amakasu. I just have an adamant dislike for you. After all, I could've told her to call you Man-bitch instead right?"

Amakasu Touma decided at that moment that being called a Butt Monkey wasn't so bad and resolved to put up with it smiling all the while.

* * *

Two hours later the Campione and her newly minted apprentice returned to the Kusanagi household, leaving Amakasu Touma to bring in their numerous packages and parcels. Something happened on their return trip to the mall that filled the reincarnated Counter Guardian with dread, however. While perusing a bookstore, he lost track of Luo Hoa. Only to find her in the manga section…reading shonen. Now, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it weren't for the fact that the Campione seemed intent on trying to replicate the techniques she found in the manga she had been reading.

And thus, much to his misfortune, Emiya had been attempting to prevent Luo Hao from recreating both Son Goku's Kamehameha Wave, and Yusuke Yurameshi's Spirit Gun techniques. All the while also trying to buy Christmas presents. They had been arguing about this for the past two hours.

"But why not Chú fèng?"

Because-"-The boy said for what seemed to be the dozenth time-"It's too dangerous to practice such a technique in a crowded city like Tokyo."

"But think of it Chú fèng. Think of the greater heights of martial arts I could ascend to with these techniques." She said giddily.

Grimacing, he said, "I suppose I can understand that to a point."-The inner Magus in him that had awoken since his time here unable to deny the need to strive for the next great goal-"What I have a problem with is you practicing **here**. In a densely populated area where hundreds of thousands of people could die if you get it wrong. Where my sister could die if you screw it up." He finished.

Luo Hao blinked in surprise before saying "Oh, is that all? Then if it shall ease your conscience, I suppose I can concede to going someplace less populated to practice."

_'__I guess I can live with that.'_ He thought, sighing in relief before saying "Thank you sensei. You need to understand I was just worried about Shizuka's safety…_and that of hundreds of thousands of innocent people._" He muttered under his breath at the end.

"This one understands correctly, Chú fèng. Speaking of training, I do believe it is the time we begin yours. Come." She said leading him away and leaving Amakasu to his menial task.

She led him to the dojo that had been built onto the house. The wooden floors were shining due to the wax that had been applied to the floor. On the walls hung all of Emiya's old practice weapons as well as a small shelf for his books at one end of the room. A sense of peace and serenity could be felt in the room, it was a feeling he hadn't felt since he set foot on the Mariya shrine more than two months ago.

The master and student walked to the center of the room before facing off. They stared at one another for a moment, silent, before slowly, rigidly, Emiya gave the Campione a slight bow. He then asked, "What do we do first Culliain-sensei?"

Smiling at the praise even if half-heartedly given, the leader of the Cult of Five Holy Mountains replied "First thing's first Chú fèng-dìzǐ. You must learn how to gather the Qi around you to replenish your own reserves, and to do that, you must learn the Daoist Art of **[Qigong]**. Please assume the Agura position."

Sitting down cross-legged as she asked, he put his hands on his knees before taking a breath through his nose and letting it out through his mouth. He then asked "Now what?"

"Keep doing what you were doing. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. But, hold your breath for just a second to allow your body to absorb the qi you take from the very air, through your lungs, your Po. Then, let your breath out slowly and allow the collected energy to be transferred throughout your being. First into your heart (Shen), next your kidney's (Zhi), then the spleen (Yi), and finally your liver (Hun)." She told him, her voice barely above a whisper and hypnotically calm.

Silently doing as he was told, the retired Beast of Alaya took a breath, held it for a second then let it go. He had done this four more times before he got a very unexpected reaction…he felt the gears in his internal world begin to slowly and rhythmically turn. As the second hand on the face of a clock, the gears turned in sync with his breathing. He could feel the fires in his inner world also stoaking in time with his exhalations. This went on for a small eternity until finally he felt his circuits reach peak capacity once again.

When that happened, he opened his eyes and said "It's done."

"So I see." Said Luo Hao, who herself was in a meditative position. "It took longer than I thought it would to restore your reserves. Did you have trouble?"

Emiya shook his head. "No, it's not that, I just…have a larger prana capacity than regular Magi." He said evasively trying to skirt the issue.

"How much larger Chú fèng-dìzǐ?"

Emiya mumbled something, prompting Luo Hoa to say "Speak up Dìzǐ, this Luo Hao can hardly hear you."

"I said forty times that of an average Magus." He huffed, having wanted to keep this particular fact about himself a secret.

The Master of the Martial Realm blinked in surprise "My, that is impressive. Nothing compared to the reserves of myself, let alone my fellow King's of course. But still, for a normal human to have such high reserves is something." -She then said cheerfully- "That means I just push you that much harder before you need to stop for a rest."

_'__I knew I should've kept that a secret.'_ He had thought before he prepared for torture in the guise of training.

* * *

A week had past since Luo Hao had begun teaching the boy the Daoist Arts. It quickly became routine that he would get up at around eight in the morning, bathe, get dressed, and cook breakfast for everyone. Then Luo Hoa would train him in the Daoist Art of **[Shukuchi]**, which usually involved him trying and failing to take a silk handkerchief from her until his considerable reserves were emptied. She then allowed him to mediate, and once they were restored, they went right back to it till twelve-forty-five. They would then stop for lunch before going back to it until it was time for dinner, at which point they would cease for the night.

The Counter Guardian didn't mind this at all. In fact, it brought back his memories of Saber and how she relentlessly trained him into the ground during the fifth heaven's feel. To him, such training was standard fair. But to anyone else, it may seem like torture.

Thankfully, the concept of **[Shukuchi]** was easy for him to grasp, as it mostly followed the same principle as Saber's Prana Burst. He had to shunt massive amounts of prana to the soles of his feet and, using the propulsion provided, was able to cover ground much more quickly than before. It was during one of their training sessions, that the Campione inadvertently brought up something he had overlooked.

Holding up a hand, she said, "That's enough for now Chú fèng-dìzǐ. Besides, I have many questions for you."

Coming to a stop three feet away from her, he took several deep breaths allowing his prana to refill slightly with each exhalation. After a moment, he said "Yes Sensei, what is it?"

"I was wondering about the Runes you utilized during your fight with that malformed Heretic God. Could you tell me about them?"

Grunting in acceptance he led the Campione over to his little bookshelf before selecting a volume and handing it to her. Upon glancing at the title, she said, "You may have yet another problem my dìzǐ."

Sighing, the Old Soul asked, "What did I do wrong now Sensei?"

Slapping the book into her open palm she replied "It is no fault of yours, but the fault of not having a teacher till now. Had you had one, they could have told you that combining Western and Eastern magics is rather difficult."

Staring down at the book of Eldar Futhark runes she said, "Western practices and Eastern ones never have mixed well. You would be much better off studying the Oriental rune system of I-ching."

"I am." He replied, pulling out another book on said subject and handing it to her before saying, "I'm studying runecraft in general, not just one style in particular. Besides, nothing worth doing should be easy and just because it's hard doesn't mean I should give up on it. So that just means I'll have to try harder, right?" he asked.

Not for the first time since the Master of the Martial Realm started teaching him over the past week was she both impressed and proud of both his resolve and work ethic. _'He is truly impressive. He could very well take my Young Eagle's place as head pupil to the Cult of Five Mountains at this rate.'_

Nodding she said sagely,"This is right, adversity and time are the paths to real strength. For adversity brings challenge which in turn grants power. Whereas time grants knowledge and through knowledge, wisdom."

"Wise words…where did you get them from, off the back of a fortune cookie?" he teased.

Scoffing, the Campione replied "No, that was something I picked up over time. Through years of training in both the Martial and Daoist Arts."

Humming noncommittally, the Old Soul asked the ephemeral Chinese beauty "What now, should we continue?"

Shaking her head, Luo Hao replied, "No, actually, I wish for you to accompany me on my own training."

"Okay…what are we doing?" he asked warily.

"First-" She said before placing a hand on his shoulder-"We need to go somewhere a bit more remote."

There was a sudden flash of light, and when it cleared, Emiya found he was now surrounded by trees, and even though it was the middle of winter the air around him was steamy and warm. He soon found out why. Looking around he found a family of macaques soaking in a natural hot spring. Turning to his teacher, he asked, "Ok, I'll bite where are we?"

"The Jigokudani Monkey Park in the of Nagano prefecture of Wakano. I thought it was appropriate to come here as I could train without hurting anyone, and we wouldn't need to change our clothes thanks to the heat given off by the onsens." She replied in a self-assured tone that bordered on arrogance.

"A safe assumption." He conceded only to add "But I should mention for argument's sake that it probably wouldn't do us any good to stay out here for too long as we could still freeze to death."

"Bah, nonsense." She said waving away his concerns by saying "You should consider this environment training. And, should it get too cold, we can just warm ourselves up in the onsen."

"With our clothes on?" he asked dubiously.

"Of course not, Chú fèng. We'll take our clothes off first." The Campione assured him.

_'__Someone really needs to teach her that it's a crime to expose herself…in public…to little boys…which I technically am.'_ Emiya thought to himself.

Doing his best to suppress a sigh and failing, he said, "So, what exactly did you want to try out here?"

In response, the Master of the Martial Realm took a stance that was familiar to anyone who had ever seen the Dragonball series. She took a horse stance, her legs spread and knees bent, her arms were placed behind her fingers clasped together, and palms spread apart.

Then she began saying a very familiar phrase as a sphere of blue-white energy collected in her palms.

"Ka-me-ha-me…"

Noting that she was pointing her attack right at him, Emiya quickly got out of the way using **[Shukuchi]**, the macaques wisely decided to do the same.

"…HA!" She finished before unleashing the massive sphere of energy from her forward thrust palms. Pale blue light had surrounded the area briefly before the sphere smashed into a nearby cliff face, causing a gigantic explosion.

When the dust cleared, the cliff was completely obliterated. Not even pebbles remained. Seeing the damage done, the former contractee of the Counter Force said dryly "See, this is why I wanted you to practice away from civilization."

"So I see," Luo Hao said feeling slightly winded, unused to putting so much of her qi into a single attack.

Seeing her looking so winded, he asked, "You alright?"

Nodding, she replied "Yes of course. I merely wished to see how much of my qi it would take to initiate the Kamehameha wave. Now, for the others."

_'__Others?'_ Emiya thought. "What others?" he asked feeling exasperated already.

Ticking off a list on her well-manicured fingers, the Campione replied "For Dragonball I wish to replicate the Kioken, Spirit Bomb, Destro-Disk, and Special Beam Cannon. For Yuyu Hakusho, the Spirit Gun, Spirit Shotgun, Spirit Wave, Black Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and Sacred Energy."

"I think we should move out of a national park then." Emiya deadpanned while pointing his thumb at the flat expanse she made just by using the Kamehameha.

"That alone reminded me of my wife when she got pissed." He muttered under his breath.

But the Campione caught his words with her sharpened hearing, and couldn't help but say "You were married Chú fèng?"

Staring up at the bright blue sky he replied "Yeah, for four years."

"Can you tell me about her?" The Campione requested.

"Sure." He said, his voice soft, lacking its usual gruffness as he began his trip down memory lane…

* * *

It was the year 2027, and after years of training with my mentor Yumi, of the Churches Executors, and helping others in battlefields where I could, something came up…something big. The Alsbury Ritual. A ritual meant to resurrect the Dark Six, the first Vampire, who would in turn resurrect Crimson Moon Brunstud, the physical embodiment of the moon and father of all Vampires. I arrived late on the scene, and by the time I did, the slaughter had already commenced. And the magi had been losing by a signific margin.

The Beast of Gaia, Great White Wolf, Primate Murder was currently gorging itself on the corpses of Lorelei Barthomeloi the Vice Director of the Clocktower, and her Canticle Brigade. Ceil-sempai's body was floating in a sphere of water, along with four of the other Executors. The body of Narbareck, the bloodthirsty leader of the Eighth Sacrament was torn to shreds next to a ghostly apparition of a vampire.

But the Vampires too had taken losses. For I noted both Rizo-Waal Strout and Fina Blood Svelten, the vampiric bodyguards of Altrouge Brunestud had seemingly met mutual destruction by the hands of Merem Solomon, and Gransurg Blackmore the Blackwing Lord.

Out of all these influential people, only two still stood. The first was a short-haired blonde, wearing a bloodstained white sweater and blue skirt. Her blood-red eyes looked at the girl across from her wearing a gothic lolita dress with nothing less than pure hate. The other, a twenty-two-year-old woman with long blood-red hair, her jeans bloodied and torn, her stomach bleeding from a three talon-like slashes. She had her cerulean eyes locked onto that of a seemingly old man garbed in a white robe embroidered with gold, embodying the mental image a typical person thought of when they pictured a magus.

I couldn't abide this. All this loss of life, and for what? Genocide? To show that one was superior to the other? Pointless, all of it. All that mattered to me was protecting the innocent…and to do that at this point…

…I would need a miracle…

Even knowing this, I walked calmly forwards, the echoes of my footfalls echoing across the vast room, drawing everyone's gaze to me. I should have been afraid. But instead, I was deathly calm.

"What are you doing? Can't you see we've lost! You're too late, run you idiot!" the redhead yelled at me.

Stopping when I was standing right next to her, l locked gazed with the old man and the young girl, both of them Dead Apostle Ancestors a group of twenty-six ancient and powerful vampires of nightmarish power. Each was given a number rank based on how dangerous they were to humanity. Now that I got a good look at them, I could only assume that they were Number Nine, Altrouge Brunestud. The Princess of Blackblood, Holder of Contracts and Princess of Dead Apostles. Next to her could only be Number Seventeen Trhvmn Ortenrosse, the White Wing Lord, and 'King' of the Dead Apostle Ancestors.

Altrouge smirked at me, her eyes dancing with sadistic mirth as she asked "You really think you can somehow pull victory from the jaws of defeat do you human?"

"You should've run when you had the chance. Now you will die like all the rest." Ortenrosse replied coldly.

Giving them both a wan smile I replied, "Well, I guess I'll need a miracle then, huh?"

"Oh?" Altrouge asked amusedly, humoring me. "And you have such a miracle, do you?"

I shook my head 'no' before I replied, "But I can wish for one, provided the world sees fit to be accommodating."

The eyes of everyone present widened in surprise, even as I raised my eyes to the heavens and said "Oh Alaya, hear my prayer and grant my miracle! In return for returning the fallen humans here to life, I will serve you after my death, to continue to protect the innocent long into the future. What say you?!"

A pale blue light fell over the area then, and a gyroscopic shape made of pure mana appeared in the air with a sphere in the center, resonating pure power. The rings began moving, the topmost one along a Y-axis, and the smaller one on an X-axis before I heard a voice in my head. It was like thousands of voices whispering the same thing at the same time.

They said, "I accept the terms of your contract. In return for the ability to enact real miracles, you shall serve me from here on. Even after death. So it is proclaimed, so shall it be."

The physical embodiment of Alaya disappeared then and after it was gone, I could feel it. The raw, unadulterated power flowing through me. I knew I could now potentially become the hero the Old Man always wanted to be. I felt confident as I locked eyes with the stunned Dead Apostle Ancestors. With but a wave of my hand, the corpses of the dead Magi were encapsulated in a golden aura before they were instantaneously teleported in front of me. Then, with another wave of my hand, their flesh and clothing magically regenerated, and as one, they all gasped as they were granted the breath of life anew.

"Get up, all of you. We have work to do." I told them all calmly while locking my silver eyes with the crimson ones of Gaia's Beast.

"And who are you to dare order me, the Head of the noblest House of Barthomeloi around Magus?" Lorelei snapped as she picked herself up off the floor.

I locked eyes with the Vice-Director only briefly, but it was enough for her to back down. After that had happened, I turned to see my sensei Yumi, looking at me concernedly.

"Tell me you didn't do something stupid kōhai." She asked in an exasperated tone.

Smirking at her, I replied, "Wish I could Sempai, but that's not the case." My face then turned grim as I met the remaining Dead Apostle Ancestors and said "In any case, we have bigger problems than what I did or didn't do right now. Lady Barthomeloi if you could handle Ortenrosse while your brigade assists the Eighth Sacrament in dealing with the other Apostles."

Scoffing, the Vice-director told me, "As much as it pains me to lend a helping hand to these religious fanatics, I suppose I can be accommodating, just this once."

"I am I to assume you would like to fight your sister by yourself White Moon Princess?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nod silently. And so, that just left the Fifth, myself, and Primate Murder.

"Aozaki Aoko?" I asked.

"Yeah?" I heard her reply.

Glancing over, I saw her looking at me oddy, there was a mix of admiration and fear in her eyes. The fear I could understand, I did just bring the dead back to life. The reason for the admiration eluded me at the time, however. Ignoring the thought for now, I told her, "You're with me, we've got a mutt to put down."

Glancing at the Great White Wolf, whose hackles raised upon being called a mutt, Aoko deadpanned "Great."

"Let's go everyone."

And so, the second battle of Alsbury commenced. Not that I saw much of it. The moment I got close enough to the Beast of Gaia, I enacted another miracle. Wordlessly, a circle of heatless flames emanated from my body enveloping myself, my enemy, and my ally. When they cleared, we found ourselves on a grass covered plain, under a cloudless noonday sky. Impaled into the ground were innumerable bladed weapons from all different eras were stuck into the earth points first, like grave markers.

"This is…a Reality Marble?" Aoko questioned in awed tones.

"Yeah, suppose. I physically manifested my memories of all the weapons I remember seeing from the Fifth Heaven's Feel and beyond. This was the result." I had told her before I looked over at Primate Murder.

It was looking nervous, scared even. It took me a moment to figure out why. When I did, I laughed, prompting Aoko to ask me what was so funny.

"Primate Murder is, in essence, the physical embodiment of natural disasters that happen on Gaia correct?" Seeing the Fifth Magician nod, I continued-"Well, he's cut off from Gaia at the moment due to being trapped in my reality marble, meaning…"

Seeing her cerulean blue eyes light up in understanding amused me to no end as she shouted "We can kill him! We have an actual chance here!"

"Indeed, let's do this shall we?" I offered, before more than a dozen blades of legend rose into the air with but a thought from me.

"Let's!" she replied with a smirk as a thrumming filled the air before her legs were covered in prana that she used to lift off the ground before intoning **_"Missiles, Fire!"_**

To say that Gaia's Beast didn't stand a chance was an understatement. Surrounded on all sides by mythical blades, accompanied by salvos of pure energy courtesy of a Magician, on top of being cut off from Gaia. The White Wolf stood no chance, but I will say this, it was incredibly durable. By the time we'd finally finished him off and left the pseudo-Reality Marble, the others had finished off the remaining Dead Apostles. The White Moon Princess, I noted had longer hair now for some reason. I also noted that even with the Apostles ranks being thinned, the Canticle Brigade still suffered heavy losses. Even a few of the Eighth Sacrament had fallen yet again. Thankfully, Yumi wasn't among them.

As we approached the remaining Magi, they turned their gaze to us.

"Report!" Lorelei barked as if she were the one in charge.

Maybe it was because I was still riding a power high at the time, but I replied, "I don't recall being a part of your Canticle Brigade Lady Barthomeloi. Nor does the Fifth Magician answer to you. In fact, if you'll recall, it was **_I_** who brought you back to life. It was **_I_** who was giving orders, which you followed, earlier."

She may have backed down at the time, eyes narrowed, but I had a feeling I wasn't done with her if that glare promising retribution meant anything…I never realized how right I was…

After all was said and done, the world was saved and I went back to doing what I did best at the time, saving all I could. I didn't notice at first, but I had picked up a shadow. This person didn't make themselves known until I had a rather nasty run-in with a Vampire. One of the Neo-Dead Apostle Ancestors, by the name of Voldo Advol. He specialized in a very odd bit of magecraft that gave his body the consistency of rubber with a hardness surpassing diamond. I was having a hard time landing a hit on him due to this.

Then out of the blue, almost two-dozen bolts of energy blew Advol to pieces, leaving him as nothing more than dust in the wind. Looking at where the blasts came from my bow at the ready, I found Aozaki Aoko. She was wearing a tan cloak and a pair of goggles over her eyes because we were in the Middle East, Egypt to be specific. She was giving me a peace sign of all things and grinning like a loon.

"Aozaki…Aoko? What the hell are you doing in this roasting hell?" I asked her when I laid eyes on her.

"Following you of course." She said that to me as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I was confused as all hell.

"Why, did I do something to offend you, I don't recall doing anything to warrant you chasing me down. But then again, Magi are a fickle bunch, so I assume Magicians are even more so."

Eh, hehehe~ I think you're confused. I wasn't following you to kill you. I was trying to figure you out. Most Magi don't go around blatantly using their mysteries in public attempting to help people or make a contract with Alaya like you did. So honestly, I just don't get you." She finished lamely.

I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I looked at Advols corpse, then back at the embarrassed and nervous looking Magician in front of me before saying "Would you like to go get some lunch?"

And so we soon found ourselves seated at a table sharing a pan of ful medames. A dish of fava beans cooked in cumin, chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice and chili pepper. It was a staple meal in Egypt.

As I ate, I asked, "So, what do you want to know, exactly?"

"Well-" She began, taking a bite of food before continuing-"I'm just kinda curious as to what drives you to do what you do. Saving people and all. Magi, in general, while capable of doing what you do, wouldn't bother doing it."

Scratching my head in thought for a moment, I replied the simplest way I could at the time, not actually understanding what I was saying "I just like helping people. My Old Man was the same way. He taught me my magecraft but said he was too old to become a hero like he'd always wanted to, so I promised to become one in his stead. To become a Hero of Justice that protects everyone."

"A Hero of Justice Hmm…" she said contemplatively. "That sounds nice."

"Thanks, most Magi laugh at me when I tell them that."

The Blue smiled at me kindly before saying "I can respect someone who strives to protect life in all its forms…" She then became contemplative and ate her meal silently after that.

After the meal, we stood off to the side of the entrance of the restaurant. And just like that, it became awkward.

"So uh-I guess this is goodbye then?" I asked feeling odd.

She nodded looking just as awkward as I felt saying, "Yeah, I guess it is."

I then smiled at her kindly and said "It was nice to actually sit down and talk with you this time and debunk a lot of those rumors."

"Eh, rumors? What rumors?" she asked perplexed.

Clearing my throat politely, I replied "Well a lot of your exploits I've heard from the few times I've spoken to Executors or fellow freelancers is that you are a dangerous short-tempered woman."

The Magician was apparently outraged. "Eh!"

"One such rumor stated that you blew up a mountain once. Just because it got in your way when you were walking in that particular direction." I clarified.

The redheads' cheeks were now as red as her hair as she fumed, "Oh you have got to be kidding me! I would never do that! This has my sister written all over it!"

I then held out my hand for her to shake stopping her temper tantrum before it could truly gain momentum and said "But I for one am glad the rumors weren't true for once. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to meet such a kind person. Thanks again for the save Aoko-san."

She looked at my hand for a moment before smiling while shaking her head and taking her hand in my own, giving it a squeeze and saying "No problem."

I then let go and gave her one last smile before I turned and began to walk away…only to stop when I felt her grab my arm in a near vicelike grip. Turning I looked at her only to find a nervous look staring back at me.

Concerned I asked, "Is something wrong Aoko-san?"

Swallowing nervously she replied "I just thought that…maybe I could stick with you for a bit? If that's ok?"

I blinked in surprise, never expecting someone as prestigious as the Fifth Magician to want to tag along with me on my meager adventures. I had no doubt she could handle herself in a fight, considering she assisted me in slaying the Primate Murder. But I still, had my doubts.

So I said to her, "Are you sure you want to tag along with me? I go where the trouble is. If you come with me, you'll see all the terrible things war and human corruption have to offer. Emaciated children being forced to act as soldiers, bodies blown to pieces by all manner of explosives, and not to mention what they do to the women…are you sure you wish to see all that?" I asked her kindly. For this was the very same reason Rin abandoned me for the Clocktower, she could only take so many scenes of gore and death before it became too much for her to bare.

Aoko's jaw set and her eyes firmed as she nodded. "I have already seen some of the worst humanity has to offer. And let me tell you, I don't like it. I, like you, want to change things. I bet we can accomplish more together than we could apart. So, what do you say, will you take me on?"

"Well, if you know what you're getting into…then I can't really stop you. Welcome aboard partner. Please take good care of me from now on." I said bowing politely.

"And you me also." She replied bowing as well.

* * *

"And that was how our relationship began." The ten-year-old finished telling the Campione, who had been sitting cross-legged attentively the entire time.

"We would delve into the harshest battlefields, bringing justice to those who started and profited off conflict. Into the most depraved Vampire lairs seeking the death of those that were no longer human. Within three months, we went from comrades to friends. At six months, we were dating. By the end of our first year together, we were married." He told her.

The Master of the Martial Realm nodded sagely, "Most would assume you were moving incredibly quickly in your relationship. But, considering your line of work, and never knowing if tomorrow would be your last day alive, it makes sense. Yet, you said you were only married for four years. So, I'm assuming something happened?"

Giving her a bitter smile, he replied "Oh yes, something did indeed happen…I died."

Seeing the none-too-surprised look on the Campione's face, I finished my tale saying "It goes a little like this…"

* * *

With the help of my wife of four years, I had just ended the African Civil War of 2032. A bloody mess that at its core involved a mix of foreign interest oil mongers facing off against blood diamond hunting warlords. It ended up consuming the entire continent as both incited and blamed other religious factions who opposed them, turning it into a full-on jihad. We were about to discreetly flee the country when the hotel we were staying in was raided by joint forces belonging to both the Warlords and the Foreign Interest Parties. I held them off long enough for Aoko to escape as my magecraft was much more…subtle than hers was. After I was sure she was away I allowed myself to be captured. I knew it was time.

I was beaten and then tossed in a dank, decrepit cell with no light for a few hours before I was dragged before a tribunal of puppets who accused me of starting this war in the first place. They said that I was to be publically executed in a week for my crimes via hanging. Then, I was tossed back into my cell. It was the eve of my execution when I received my visitors.

All I could do was smirk from my place on the ground when Lorelei Barthomeloi walked into my little slice of hell.

She looked around my cell with both satisfaction and disgust on her face before turning to me and saying "Hello Emiya, I assume you're wondering why I'm here in this…hovel?"

"I know exactly why you're here Lorelei. You're here to gloat." I replied calmly.

"Oh, so you figured it out have you? I must say, you are rather smart for an oriental." She replied giving me a backhanded compliment.

I just took it in stride, nodding and responding "Who else would bother to frame me in starting a war?"

Narrowing her eyes at me she said, "You don't seem at all surprised that this happened. Why is that?"

Giving her a wan smile, I replied "That's because I'm not. According to all known records of those who have used the Counter Force to accomplish their goals, their lives were always tragically short. Jeanne D'arc, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada are two such people known to have made a deal with the world only to die shortly after. If anything, I am surprised Alaya waited five years to come and collect me."

I chuckled mirthlessly then, saying "I suppose I should be grateful for such a reprieve, all I can think of is all the good left yet undone."

"Do you mean to tell me-"The Vice-Director said in a quiet dangerous tone of voice-"That I was merely used as a pawn?"

"Exactly that Lorelei. Don't feel too bad, though, I have a feeling the Counter Force does this all the time." I consoled her.

"And so knowing this, you bear me no ill will?" she guessed.

"Exactly…though, if I may, I do have one last request. Those are granted to the soon to be executed are they not?" I inquired.

"And what exactly would you ask of me?" the Vice-Director of the Clocktower said imperiously while crossing her arms, one of which was encased in a Mithril Gauntlet.

"All I want, is for you to leave Aoko alone. She is to play no part in your little revenge scheme. That is all I ask."

Her face was blank and emotionless for a moment before she replied "Very well, I was going to have her bound near Gazmey the Spook for the next decade, but I shall grant your request."

"Thank you," I said to her with sincere kindness in my tone, despite the fact that she was the one who orchestrated my death. Proving that even unto the end, I cared about others more than myself.

"Don't thank me you stupid fool," Lord Barthomeloi said as she stalked out of my cell without so much as a backward glance.

Not even an hour later, and I received three more visitors. They were my old sensei Yumi, along with and my old friends from high school and fellow survivors of the Fifth Heaven's Feel Ritual, Tohsaka Rin, and Matou Sakura.

"Well this is a surprise, come to say goodbye you three?" I asked politely.

Rin, ever the blunt one retorted, "No dummy, we're here to bust you out before they execute you come morning. Thanks for letting us know you married the damn Blue of all people by the way." She finished archly.

Chuckling, I replied, "Sorry Rin, it's not that I didn't want to tell you it's just that…well, Aoko thought if we didn't have a small private wedding ceremony, her sister would catch wind of it and find some way to ruin it."

"You still could've told us." She grumbled as she used a quick incantation in German to destroy the sigil-inscribed chains binding him to the wall.

"Do you think you could win an argument with a Magician, Rin?" when she didn't reply I finished "Yeah, that's what I figured."

I then gave her a kind smileas I responded to all three of them, "Ceil-sempai, Rin, Sakura, stop there's nothing you can do."

Sakura, ever concerned about me asked, "Sempai, what do you mean?"

Sighing, I told them exactly what I told Lorelei earlier. Once I was finished, they were all silent for a time. Rin was the first to regain her composure and speak.

In a tone tinged with despair she said, "So that's it then, there's nothing we can do?"

"Sempai, there must be something we can do, right?" Sakura asked hopefully, even as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ceil otherwise known by her Eighth Sacrament codename of Yumi spoke last, saying, "There's nothing we can do is there kōhai?"

Both Sakura and Rin looked ready to protest right before I interrupted, "For me dying? No, not a thing. But, there is something you three can do for me…a last request of sorts."

"Name it." All three women said at once.

Taking a deep breath, I said to the trio, "It would put my mind at ease if I knew someone was looking after Aoko after I was gone. You think you three could keep an eye on her for me, make sure she doesn't do anything crazy because I died?"

The three women looked at each other then back to me before Ceil inquired "How exactly? Aren't you two constantly on the move?"

"Yeah well, that's the thing. We were planning on heading back to Fuyuki and settling down for a little while after this business in Africa. Yes, we were married, but we rarely got to spend time together doing normal husband and wife things. I could tell that's what Aoko wanted, at least for a little while. So chances are, she'll be at my old house in Fuyuki." I told them.

"Then I think we can manage without too much trouble Emiya-kun. After all, I **_am_** the Second Owner, with Sakura acting in my stead during my time at the Clocktower." Rin replied her tone somehow haughty, superior, and sad all at once.

"And I am fulfilling the role as Fuyuki's new priest, since Kotomine's…passing," Ceil said, noting the scowl on my face. She knew well my dislike for that man.

I then noticed Sakura taking several deep breathes. Concerned, I said to her, "If there is anything you need to say to me Sakura, now would be the time to do it. I don't think you'll be getting another chance."

Putting her shaking hands in her lap, she said, "Ano, I know you're happily married Sempai, and I'm happy for you. I really am, but…before tomorrow, there is something I need to tell you…"

"Go ahead Sakura-eh?" I couldn't finish saying her name properly as she suddenly kissed me right on the lips.

When she pulled away a moment later with tears in her eyes, silently begging for an apology as she said "I'm sorry Sempai, but I've liked you for a very long time. I just never had the courage to tell you until now, mere hours before you're… before you…Oh Sempai!" she said before she threw her arms around my neck and started crying.

"Oi, Sakura-," Rin said, her tone shaky and her eyes filled with unshed tears-"If you go breaking down like this, there's no hope for me you know?"

"Rin what-"I didn't get to finish. As once again, I was kissed on the lips by an old friend before she started crying into my other shoulder. Only this one kept on talking, berating me through my tears while weakly hitting me in the chest.

"Stupid, stupid Emiya-kun! Why the hell are you so damn dense! Why could you never tell that Sakura always had a crush on you…that I had-"She then let out an annoyed groan and said "You are going to be that same lovable moron until the end aren't you?"

Shrugging, I replied, "I guess so Rin."

All of a sudden, Ceil threw her arms around the trio before she gave her student a chaste kiss on the lips.

"S-Sempai, you too?" I asked entirely baffled by what had happened over the last few minutes.

Ceil gave a brief nod of her head before saying "There is also a certain lady in Misaki Town who would've liked to have been here, had her brother and sister-in-law not stopped her…a certain informant and weapon procurer you know?" Ceil added when she saw he didn't make a connection.

I blinked once, twice, three times before finally coming to a realization and saying, "Akiha-san?"

Again, the priestess of the Eighth Sacrament nodded. This caused me to inadvertently shiver and say "No offense to Akiha-san, but I'm semi-glad she wasn't more forward with me…"

Before Ceil could ask why, I finished "Because if Satsujinkiever found out, I don't think I would have to worry about dying **_here_**."

This caused the curry-lover to laugh despite the situation and say "Shiki isn't that bad Emiya-kun. Besides, he knows all about Akiha's crush on you."

"He does…and I'm still alive?" I queried.

Ceil-sempai seemed to be taking joy in my discomfort. It was something I was beginning to think was inherent in all priests who were also magi. After a moment, she said, "Oh yes, I do believe his exact words were, "He may be a dumbass, but he means well. So I know I can trust him with my sister." Nice of him ne?"

"Coming from him? Very." I mumbled to myself as Shiki and I just never could get along. We respected each other to be sure, but we disagreed with one another's reasons for fighting.

I fought to save everyone, even people I didn't know. Shiki viewed this as suicidal and pointless to stick one's neck out for strangers. He meanwhile fought only to protect Arcueid or his family. I viewed this as selfish and cold. For he had the power to protect hundreds of thousands of lives with his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, yet only used them to protect those close to him.

Shaking away such thoughts, I realized that, according to my mental clock, the guards would be coming for me in about an hour. So, with a heavy sigh, I said to the three "The guards will be coming for me soon. You should go."

Final farewells were exchanged, and then the trio left me to my last hour of life in solitude. I stood tall and defiant when they finally came for me and walked to the hangman's noose with my head held high…I died with no regrets.

* * *

"And that's it." He finished with a shrug.

Yet the Campione shook her head in response and replied "No, it is not; because if it was, you wouldn't be so jaded. Tell me, Chú fèng, what happened after you died, what were you forced to endure for the next ten thousand years?"

Giving her an annoyed look he said heatedly "Do we have to talk about this **_now_**? Can we just go home, it is Christmas Eve after all." He pointed out.

Her jade eyes softened and she nodded said in a kind understanding tone, "Of course Chú fèng. Come, let us be off."

This time, instead of just putting her hand on his shoulder, Luo Hao wrapped him in a gentle hug, surprising him. He was so stunned he didn't notice that they had arrived back at the Kusanagi residence for a good couple of minutes and just allowed the Campione to hold him her gentle embrace. Finally she spoke, saying "I don't know what happened to you Chú fèng, but whenever you wish to talk about it, this Luo Hao shall be willing to listen."

Letting out a tired sigh, he replied "Thanks. C'mon lets's go see what everyone else is up too."

We stopped at the entrance to the living room to find the others setting the table, two buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken with sides for dinner. They all, Ojii-san especially, smirked when they saw us enter.

Upon seeing their looks, I asked, "What…seriously what the hell people?"

"Godou, language please." Chiyo chastised.

Sighing and mentally cursing the fact that I was but ten-years-old not for the first time replied "Sorry Chiyo-obāsan. I'm a bit grumpy. Guess it's because I'm hungry. Seriously though what is so funny?"

"Onii-chan, look at what you and Luo Hao-neechan are standing under." Shizuka teased.

Looking up all the boy could think was _'Oh, shit.'_

For both he and her were standing under a piece of mistletoe. Casting the Campione a nervous glance, he found her semi-glaring at the plant while asking "Chú fèng, just what is that plant doing hanging here?"

"Well, according to tradition, if a man and a woman are both standing under a piece of mistletoe during Christmas they need to kiss." He told her blandly, already knowing where this was going.

Fixing her gaze on him she said, "Is that so? Well, if tradition demands it then so be it."

Without preamble, she picked him up and kissed him full on the lips. Everyone else probably thought she was going to give me a peck on the cheek or the forehead or something. But I knew her better than that by now. I knew that Luo Hao Cuilian had no grasp of social norms whatsoever. If she felt the need to change he clothes she did so right then, regardless if a man was present and if she decided to kiss someone she kissed them. No half measures.

After about five or six seconds of feeling her feather soft lips on his, he broke the kiss. Mainly because he heard his grandfather say in the background "That's my boy-Ow! Chiyo, stop hitting me!"

The silence that followed was both deafening and awkward to say the least. Without having to say anything, the Campione put him down. Emiya promptly headed towards the dinner table without saying so much as a word.

"Are we just going to ignore what just happened?" Mayo said at last.

"Kaa-san, for the sake of your sanity, I think you should just sit down and eat." Her son told her calmly.

And so, dinner was consumed, and soon after all in the Kusanagi house were tucked into their beds, all but one…

"Chú fèng?" A familiar voice called.

Not even bothering to sigh or roll over, the boy pulled his blankets aside and scooted over. Every night for the past week, Luo Hao had slept in his bed. He felt his futon give a little as she lay down next to him, and then, as had become their custom, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her.

"You know, you're going to have a really hard time getting to sleep at night after you go back home. After all, I won't be there to cuddle with." He teased her.

"That I will…I don't suppose you would be interested in training with me in China?" she offered, sounding surprisingly honest to his ears.

"No, sorry." He was silent for a time before he rolled over. Looking her in the eyes, he said, "You wanted to know what changed me correct?"

"I did," The Campione murmured with a nod.

"What changed me was finding out what being a servant of Alaya, the collective human consciousness, really means. I had hoped that by becoming a Counter Guardian, I could continue to save more lives even after my death." He grimaced silently for a moment before continuing "In a way, I suppose that did come true. Even after death I was able to protect billions of lives…by taking millions of them."

_'__What does he mean?'_ the Campione thought to herself, a cold pit of dread forming in her stomach.

"For you see; the job of a Counter Guardian is to act as a janitor more or less. When and wherever humanity comes close to bringing themselves to the brink of utter destruction, we are sent into purge the area and kill all those who could possibly know anything about these events."

"You don't mean?" she asked, only for him to nod and say "Yes entire families were killed by my hand. Men, Women, children…babies. Anyone who was in anyway connected to an event that caused me to be summoned required purging. As so long as there was even one survivor, the chance it could happen again, yet remained."

After a time, he continued. His voice having become flat and monotone, "I tried to resist. I really did, but all my effort was for naught. All that got me in the end was my free will stripped from me. Then I was forced to watch, like a passenger in my own body as it slaughtered innocent after innocent for millennia after millennia. The only reprieve I hadhad been the Grail Wars. I would be summoned, I would usually fight, lose after an epic struggle against some of the world's most renown heroes of legend, and then go right back to work. Slaughtering those who couldn't fight back."

"Oh, Chú fèng," That was all Luo Hao said before she drew him even closer to herself.

The former Counter Guardian said nothing, but the fact that he did not pull away meant he accepted the Campione's embrace. They then drifted off to sleep. Only this time, it was Luo Hao who was doing the comforting.

* * *

He was awoken by the sound of Shizuka yelling out "Merry Christmas everyone! C'mon Onii-chan, we've got presents!"

The dark-haired boy grumbled good-naturedly before getting out of bed, giving the Campione a nudge as he did so, and saying "Merry Christmas Luo Hao."

"Merry Christmas Chú fèng." She replied with a yawn before sitting up, while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

That done, she asked, "What does Christmas tradition dictate we do now?"

"We go to the living room, and open presents…after we get dressed of course."

"Of course," The Campione had said before she started stripping out of her clothes, before walking over to one of his drawers and pulling out an outfit she bought when they went Christmas shopping.

_'__I swear the Root is causing shit like this to happen to me.'_ He thought as he watched the shameless Campione change into a silken royal purple Chinese Hanfu Shenyi dress, clothing that was relatively common during the Han Dynasty but was becoming popular once again. It consisted of a _Yi_, a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called _Chang_, worn with a B_ixi_, a length of fabric that reached the knees.

He knew all of this as when they returned to the mall and she found manikins displaying said clothing, she went into a full diatribe about what each piece was for before buying several outfits. By the end of their shopping spree, he was reasonably sure that Luo Hao, should she ever tire of being a King, could make great headway into the fashion business.

Suppressing a chuckle, he changed into a black T-shirt and black and red stripped pants before heading down the hall to the living room. Only to find the Old Man and his Jiji, physically holding Shizuka back from attacking a small mountain of presents.

"Oh good, you're both here, now we can open presents," Mayo said while handing us both mugs full of hot chocolate.

"It took you both long enough to get out here," Shizuka complained.

Smirking at her from over the rim of his mug, her older brother replied "Sorry Shizuka, we were getting dressed…now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I forgot something in my room. Hang on a sec."

"Not funny Onii-chan!" Shizuka shouted at him.

Still managing a chuckle or two, he said to his elders "You can let her go now."

The moment they let her go, she savagely attacked the poor defenseless pile of presents. Tossing those that did not have her name on them towards their proper owners before tearing into the ones that did have her name on them like a fierice predator killing its prey.

Both the Campione and the brother of the girl nearly found themselves bowled over as she slammed into them, yelling and holding up one of her gifts. "Did you see what Santa brought me?"

For from Luo Hao she had received a pink qipao embroidered with silver dragons throughout its length. From her brother, she got a matching pair of pink hair ties that she felt she would be wearing year around. When he saw the Campione about to open her mouth in protest, he promptly stomped on her foot before pulling her down to his level and whispering in her ear, "Don't. It'll crush her if she finds out Santa Clause isn't real."

The Campione frowned for a moment before she silently nodded and began unwrapping the surprising amount of presents that bore her name. Upon opening said gifts, she gave the young boy next to her a heartfelt hug. For inside she found the complete series of Yu Yu Hakusho, and all the volumes up to the current one in Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto.

* * *

It was the day after Christmas and the former Beast of Alaya was thinking. Something he seemed to do more and more often of late. As usual his thoughts drifted to the Campione, who was sleeping in his bed. For in truth, though he knew she would be leaving soon…he found himself not quite ready to part ways with the egotistical woman. And for the life of him, he couldn't begin to understand why.

_'__Maybe it's because she has an inkling of what I went through since I told her about Aoko?'_ Mentally sighing he thought, _'And I hadn't thought of her in so long too…'_

Straightening at his desk he said in a resolute whisper, "I've decided."

Having made up his mind, he quietly went to the kitchen and began to cook. By the time he had finished setting the table, the rest of the people in the house had started trudging their way into the dining room, lured from their beds by the smell of food. He watched with some amusement as both his Old Man and Jij shambled into the room like the Dead, grunting and groaning for coffee instead of brains. Silence reigned after everyone was seated, some with steaming mugs of coffee in their hands. Looking at the spread of food her son had laid out, all Mayo could do was look at him and say "This is a bribe. You want something don't you son."

The way she said it made it sound like a statement, not a question. Giving his mother an innocent look, he replied nonchalantly "Kaa-san, what makes you think I want something?"

Smiling at her progeny Mayo replied, "Because, you're my son…and I've done the exact same thing a time or two before I started working from home." She ended sounding sheepish.

"Why am I not at all surprised to hear that?"

The Kusanagi matriarch resisted the urge to wince at the flat deadpan tone her son just used. She had intended to spend time truly getting to know her son during his two weeks off from school. However, his heroic actions and the arrival of Luo Hao changed all of that.

_'__Just give him time, and he'll come around.'_ She thought to herself, even as she said "Oh now, no need to be like that honey. I'm just saying I know a bribe when I see one. Which leads me to wonder what it is exactly you want?"

Mayo watched her son intently as he closed his eyes and sighed. Eyes she noted that had lightened several shades since she saw him last. Finally, his eyes opened again, and he said "Your right Kaa-san, this **_is, in fact_**, a bribe. As for what I want well…"

Mayo frowned when her son took longer than expected to reply. She was about to ask him if he'd lost his train of thought when her daughter beat her to it. "Onii-chan, did you fall asleep at the table?"

Ruffling his little sister's hair good-naturedly he replied "No Shizuka-chan, I'm just trying to think of how to correctly say what I want to say."

"How about you just say it?" the baby of the family suggested.

Chuckling he said to her "You are just full of good ideas today huh?" Turning to the adults at the table he said, "I want us to…escort Luo Hao back to China. Of course doing so would mean spending Chinese New Year's over there which I think could be an excellent cultural experience."

"You've grown really attached to Hao-neechan haven't you Onii-chan?" Shizuka noted as she finished swallowing an omelet.

Giving his little sister a sideways glance he asked her, "What makes you say that?"

"Ano…well, it just seems like Hao-neechan can take care of herself. But you insist on seeing her home. Sure seems like your attached to her-"

Shizuka suddenly gave a gasp of surprise before she pointed an accusing finger at her brother and said teasingly, "You like her, don't you Onii-chan?!"

The whole table was silent, looking at the young boy expectantly. Even Luo Hao herself flicked her eyes over to the young boy as she continued eating, waiting for him to answer.

Shrugging, he replied to the young girl's inquiry "Well yeah, of course, I like her Shizuka. Just like how I like you, and all my friends."

The young girl cocked her head to the side for a moment before she nodded. Seeing she understood and mentally patting himself on the back for dodging an awkward situation, he turned back to his parents and said "Well, what do you think?"

The age old guardian of humanity watched as his 'mother' stroked her chin in thought. Glancing at her husband, she said "Gendou, can we afford to go to China?"

"Sure we can." He told his wife confidently.

The married couple turned to the Chinese beauty when they heard her politely clear her throat. "Actually, if you wish to spend Chinese New Year's with me, then I could easily arrange for everything."

"Dear, you don't need to do that-" Mayo began. Her own mother giving a supporting nod only for the Campione to shake her head and reply, "No, you have shown me both kindness and hospitality. I would be remiss if I did not even attempt to return the favor should you decide to escort me back to my native homeland. Besides, I am quite well off. So getting you all to China and putting you up for New Year's would be no trouble." She finished waving off their concerns.

The parents of the Kusanagi household looked at one another before looking towards their grandparents and saying "What do you think?"

"Sounds like a grand old time to me, seeing as it lets me mix business with pleasure-I'm a folklorist." He explained to both his grandson and his guest, upon seeing their confused looks.

Deciding she was finished with all this talk, Luo Hao clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention. Then, she said, "I suggest you all go pack while I make a few phone calls and arrange for your stay while in China for the New Year."

"Why?"

Seeing the looks she was receiving she said, "Unlike most countries, Chinese New Year's lasts half a month. We must leave shortly if we are to participate in the holiday properly."

"Oh. Well, you heard the lady everyone, let's go pack." He said before excusing himself from the table and heading to his room to pack, the rest of his family quickly doing the same.

As he left the room, he could hear the Asian beauty talking to someone on a prepaid phone he convinced her to buy and taught her how to use.

* * *

The boy had quickly packed a suitcase full of clothes and after he had done that, he noted he likely had time before they had to leave. So, he decided to visit Yuri and let her know he'd be gone for a little while. He couldn't have her worrying about him unnecessarily after all, and if he left without a word, that's exactly what she would do he was sure. Leaving his suitcase by the front door, he quickly left the house, donning a black coat before reinforcing his legs and shooting off towards the Mariya Shrine.

He landed amidst a thin layer of snow that covered the grounds of the shrine proper, sending up a small cloud of snowflakes as he impacted amidst the cold ground. He walked calmly forwards, intending to just knock on the door and ask to talk to the eldest of the Mariya sisters. Instead, the moment he neared the door, it opened and Yuri herself came out, wearing what he'd gotten her for Christmas.

It was a white silk kimono that had fluttering sakura pink petals decorating its length as well as a pink obi holding it shut. The garment looked like it fit her perfectly, he was glad he managed to guess her size correctly. Smiling at her kindly he said, "Hi Yuri."

"Godou-san Merry Christmas." She said warmly.

"Merry Christmas…so, you liked my gift then?" he asked awkwardly.

The boy found himself being hugged once again as the Hime-Miko said, "I love it! Thank you, so much…" she finished in a quieter tone.

"You're welcome." He told her, feeling even more awkward while patting her back.

She suddenly became slightly solemn saying, "But, I didn't get you anything for Christmas."

"Don't worry about that, I'm just glad you like my gift."

Yet Yuri looked up at him from her position in his arms and shook her head saying a bit stubbornly. "No, that isn't right-" She then cast her gaze around in thought for a moment before it settled on the Ema board. An idea coming to her, she said, "-I know, you tell me your greatest wish, and I'll do my best to grant it."

"My wish huh?" Emiya said seemingly lost in thought.

The chestnut haired Hime-Miko nodded an earnest look adorning her beautiful face.

For a moment, Yuri thought he wasn't going to speak, so lost in thought was her friend. She was about to shake him and ask him if he was ok when he spoke in a far off tone "I wish for a world without pain, strife, or suffering. A world where children are not raised to fight and die for their beliefs. Where warriors are not sent to far-off battlefields, without actually knowing why, and where lives need not be lost for reasons of religion, territory, or profit. That is my sincerest wish. For a world where humanity as a whole worked together instead of trying to mercilessly tear each other apart."

Yuri stared into her friends' eyes as he spoke his wish, and she saw something that didn't belong there. Pain. Indescribable amounts of pain. Like an old ache that never quite went away or a soldier that had seen too much. But no, this? This went deeper, Yuri could tell this torture, this agony, whatever it was, and whatever caused it, gnawed at her best friends' very soul. Mariya Yuri saw pain the likes of which didn't belong in the eyes of a ten-years-old.

She was about to ask him just what happened to him to get such a look in his eyes. But then, another voice, one full of regalty, and authority interrupted her before she could so much as form the words.

"Ah Chú fèng, there you are. I had wondered where you ran off to. Are you saying your goodbyes to your little friend before we depart?"

Looking behind her friend Yuri, beheld a Campione for the first time. She was almost indescribably beautiful. With skin like ivory, hair like silken ebony, her eyes the color of warm jade, and her figure the definition of womanly beauty. She was decked in the most decadent finery, a silken purple robe that had phoenixes running throughout its length, held shut by a golden silk obi.

Separating from her friend, she bowed low and deeply to the King of China, showing the woman proper respect due to her station. Yuri could hear the sound of snow crunching underfoot as the Campione approached her. Once they couldn't have been more than three feet away, they stopped. The brunette haired Hime-Miko held her breath and waited, wondering just what the God-Slayer would do. For she had not been idle while at Chibuku. No, while Godou trained Fuyuhime, she was taught how to better harness her** [Spirit Vision]**, while also reading up on all the available information of past and present Campione. All her reading taught her one thing…

If a Campione were displeased or felt slighted in any way, it could lead to the destruction of the city if not the country in which they currently walked. And so, the Hime-Miko waited filled with equal parts hope and trepidation. First one second passed, then two, before finally, the Rakasha Raja laid a hand on her head and said "That kimono looks very becoming on you, little one."

The chestnut-haired girl jerked in surprise. She never expected to be complimented by the King of China. She felt the hand move from its place atop her head. Then she heard Godou-kun saying, "Well, Luo Hao, are you going to let her stand up or are you content to use her head as an armrest?"

Yuri looked up at her friend in shock, afraid she was about to see him be reduced to naught but ashes amidst the snow. Yet the Campione merely put her hands on her hips and scowled half-heartedly at her friend for a moment before saying "Tch, that acid spewing tongue of yours strikes again I see. One of these days I really will have to do something about it." She warned faux threateningly.

Raising an eyebrow, the boy asked, "Like what kiss me? Oh, wait, you already did that, Pedo-Campione."

Said Campione had a staining of red on her cheeks then. Yet, she continued to attempt to defend herself, "You said it was a tradition!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to plant one on me like you did. A peck on the cheek would have sufficed…That is…unless you really **_do_** have a thing for young boys?" He said looking at her sideways.

Yuri looked back and forth from her friend, who was relentlessly teasing a God Slayer of all things to said God Slayer herself. Luo Hao looked somewhere between embarrassed, mortified, and…shy? The Hime-Miko couldn't understand why such a display of emotions would be on the five-century-old Campione's face.

Finally, Luo Hao's face became stoic and in an iron-hard yet flat tone she said, **"Enough."**

Raising his hands up defensively while smirking, the boy replied, "Fine, fine. Whatever you say…_pedophile_." He whispered under his breath.

The Chinese beauty glared at him but said nothing on the topic, instead saying, "Have you said your goodbyes to your friend?"

"Goodbyes? Godou-san, are you going somewhere with Luo Hao-sama?" Yuri asked her 'friend.'

Locking eyes with her Emiya nodded, saying "Yeah, the reason I came over here was to tell you I'd be spending New Year's over in China."

A look of surprise had crossed her face before Yuri said "Oh, I see. But you could have just called me couldn't you?"

The Counter Guardian nodded, saying "I could have, but I felt you deserved to be told in person. Plus, I wanted to see you one last time before the New Year. Then we need to get back to the old grind of schoolwork and teachers."

Hearing this warmed the Hime-Miko's heart. She hadn't seen her friend since they departed from Chubuku, and when she heard from Ena that he had befriended a Campione, she couldn't help but worry for his safety. She feared her friend had been made little more than a slave to the fickle whims of a Slayer of Gods. Yet, according to reports she'd received from Ena, her worries were unfounded, as Her Eminence Luo Hao appeared to genuinely care for Godou and he for her.

But this revelation brought a new kind of fear to her mind, thoughts that only became more prevalent _'What if he likes her better than m-I mean us? What if he wants to go back to China with her?'_

These thoughts only became louder and more presistant as the days passed without her best friend visiting her or for him to always be 'out with Luo Hao' whenever she and the others came to see him at his home. With but a few words however, her worries vanished and her mind was put at ease.

"Ano, so you're seeing Luo Hao-sama home?" she inquired. Upon seeing the boy nod, she held up a finger saying "In that case, can you wait here for a minute? I have something for you."

A look of confusion crossed the boy's face as he watched the girl dash into her house, only to return moments later, holding something behind her back and looking nervous.

Seeing her on edge, Emiya asked, "Yuri, is everything ok?"

Nodding rapidly the girl replied "Oh, yes. I just…here, I made this for you. For Christmas, I wasn't sure wheter or not to give it to you as its nowhere near nice as whaht you got for me..." She managed to get out through her embarrassment before she handed him a small hastily wrapped package.

Taking it, he gently unwrapped it, revealing what lay within. It was a scarf made of red silk. Pulling it out he saw it trailed down well down to the floor, pooling at his feet. Emiya ran the silk through his hands for a moment before he locked eyes with her and said "You made this?"

"Y-Yes. I made it long because I figured you could grow into it." She said nervously.

The Former Beast of Alaya smiled a little before wrapping one end of the scarf around his neck several times, and allowing the other end to hang behind him, just below his knees.

"I feel like Viewtiful Joe." He mused aLuod to himself.

"Who?" Yuri inquired.

"Never mind." He replied quickly forgetting that the game, not to mention its console were not out yet.

* * *

It was a two-hour forty-three-minute ride from first class from Tokyo to Shanghai. When they arrived, the group was greeted by a group of thirteen people in Gi headed by a boy a little bit younger than he was. As one, the group bowed to Luo Hao and the boy said, "Welcome back Ra-"

Suddenly, the boy and all those with him were clutching their heads in pain and Luo Hao was standing behind them, looking displeased. Staring at the young head of the procession she chastised "Clearly, you and the others have been slacking in my absence Lu Yinghua. For if you had been as diligent in your training as you were before my absence, then you and the others would have been able to easily avoid those blows."

"I apologize Your Eminence." The boy said through the pain.

Only for the Campione to wave off his apology and say "It merely means I'll have to stop babying you all and train seriously. For if I am to not only get you back in shape but get you to where you were supposed to be at this point in time, I'll need to be stern with you all."

_'__She calls the hell she's put us all through 'going easy on us'…were all going to die.'_ Lu Yinghua thought in abject horror.

The Chinese Campione then clapped her hands together twice, bringing her disciples out of their inner torments to say, "Now I know you're all excited to have my glorious self returned to you. And are eager to get back into a routine, but that can wait until after New Year."

All the members of the Cult of Five Mountains mentally sighed in relief, that their torture had been postponed.

"For right now, I have guests to entertain. You twelve, go and retrieve any bags that bear my name or any bearing the last name of Kusanagi. Lu Yinghua, lead us to the car." She said imperiously.

Without a word, the group rapidly took off to complete their assigned tasks. In under ten minutes, they were all packed into the back of a long black limousine which was quickly making its way out of the airport and into the city of Shanghai proper. As the capital of one of the largest countries on the planet that were only dwarfed by Russia in sheer size, it was naturally bustling with people. Vendors selling various fast foods seemed to line every corner, paper lanterns hung everywhere giving off a warm orange glow. Emiya also noted several groups of men were throwing dice as they pulled up to a lavish looking hotel.

He couldn't begin to guess the name as he couldn't read Chinese. But, considering the entire place seemed to be made of black liquored wood, fine silk, and marble he bet it was a high-end place. They followed the Campione inside across a carpet of royal purple silk with a golden eastern dragon embroidered on it. Upon reaching the front desk, the woman was handed a bronze key.

"The key to the penthouse suite Madame, as requested." The majordomo said.

They then took the elevator to the top floor while bellhops handled their luggage. Once they reached the penthouse, an apartment that was situated on top of the building underneath a reinforced, and slightly tinted glass dome. The apartment itself had wooden floors, all black leather furniture, a kitchen full of stainless steel, and Persian carpets were scattered tastefully here and there. There was also room enough that they could each have their own room, should they desire it.

Giving an appreciative whistle, the youngest male Kusanagi said "Wow, nice digs. So, now what do we do to properly celebrate New Year's in China Oh, illustrious country native?"

Looking around the place herself, the Campione nodded as if everything was up to her standards before saying "For today, we do nothing. The holiday does not officially begin until tomorrow. Two days before New Year. I wanted us to arrive early so as to sleep off the jet lag."

Emiya was silently thankful for this. Although he was mentally prepared for jet lag, being physically able to handle it was another thing altogether. So he said, "Well, in that case, I'll see you all tomorrow."

He then fled to the room which had his suitcase placed in front of it, and would not be seen again until the next morning at breakfast. When he awoke, it was due to the smell of food cooking. Throwing on some clothes, Emiya left his room to find Luo Hao cooking something in a big pot on the stove.

"Morning Luo Hao. What's cooking?" he asked by way of greeting.

Turning around with a ladle in hand, the Campione replied "Good morning to you as well Chú fèng. As for what's in here." She said motioning towards the pot "This is Laba porridge, something traditionally eaten on the day's preceding New Year. It's usually eaten along with Laba garlic, a type of pickle."

"Hmm, sounds good to me." He said.

Once the others joined them at the table, they dug into the meal but not before giving the traditional word of thanks. After it was finished, it was Shizuka who asked "Now what do we do Luo Hao-oneechan?"

"Well, usually this would be the part where we would give the house a thorough cleaning, but as we are staying in a hotel, that isn't necessary. So how about we all go sightseeing little one. Does that sound like fun?"

Nodding enthusiastically Shizuka replied, "Yeah!"

And so, Luo Hao became a tour guide for the day, showing her guests all the sights and sounds that Shanghai had to offer. By the time they got back to the hotel, it was late, nearly midnight. Exactly as she'd planned.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion filled the air, followed by many others. Shizuka looked up peering through their domed glass roof and her older brother followed her gaze, already having a good hunch about what was going on. Just as he assumed, fireworks were going off en mass above their heads.

"It's begun! This is the official start of the Chinese New Year, the fireworks are being let off to welcome the gods to earth." Luo Hao said over the din.

That was how the Chinese New Year began, with a bang. Over the next thirteen days, feasts were had and red envelopes full of money were exchanged. The second day was the Birthday of Cheng Kung, the Protector General, and all of them went to a shrine to have their fortunes told. When Emiya's turn came, he felt an ominous feeling overcome him as an elderly woman threw tiles carved of ivory, each emblazoned with an I-ching symbol in front of a wooden booth.

"Oh my, this is auspicious indeed." She said in a creaky tone of voice.

"What is it?" he asked already mentally cursing his luck.

Looking at the boy at her and then back at the runes she replied "Well, according to this, you are destined to do great things. To become a leader, savior, and defender of men."

Sighing, the boy replied "Just my luck." Before he walked away.

On the third day; it was considered ill fortune to leave the house or receive guests. Which, of course, meant Emiya received a guest, a rather odd one at that. He'd gotten up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. Only to find a regal if portly Chinese man sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of leftover Laba porridge. He had a fumanchu mustache and was garbed in an emerald silk robe with sleeves of gold that were covered in a swirl pattern wearing a scholar's cap on his head. But his mode of dress wasn't the most remarkable thing about the man. No, that honor belonged to the divine godly aura he gave off.

It was an aura Emiya had felt once before in an ice cave from an entity that was more beast than anything else. He had a fully-fledged Heretic God sitting in front of him. Slowly, he approached the God, his muscles tense, and he said stiffly "Don't you know its bad luck to receive visitors today?"

This caused the man to smile and say "Too right young man. But I am merely doing my job. Ah, but where are my manners? I am-"

The Former Counter Guardian cut the Heretic God off hoping to throw him off, unnerving him by saying "Your name is Zou Jun. You're the Chinese Kitchen God, and he who reports the good and bad deeds to the Jade Emperor, who then decides whether or not that family will have a blessed or cursed year."

Emiya's eyes flicked to what the God was eating. Then he said, "Supposedly, leaving Laba porridge out for you is supposed to glue your mouth shut so you can't tell the Emperor bad things about a family…I don't think it works." He deadpanned upon seeing how quickly the God sipped at the porridge.

Instead of being surprised or even angry, the Heretic God chuckled in mirth. The boy couldn't help but think at that moment that he was dealing with Chinese Santa Clause.

"Oh you are truly well informed aren't you?" Zou Jun said jovially. "Then again, those Eyes of Steel you possess must be quite handy yes?"

Before he could ask what he meant by 'Eyes of Steel' the God of the Kitchen continued, "Yes, I am the Zou Jun.m I have come here specifically to meet with you in person."

"Why?" the boy asked, suddenly on edge.

Still smiling, the deity replied, "Because, the Jade Emperor himself has taken an interest in you. It started when you slew that ancient and malformed…**_thing_**." Zou Jun said his brow crinkling in a blatantly apparent look of distaste. The first he'd shown in the entire meeting.

"That mish mashed corpse? You know what that thing was?"

"Oh yes, such was Guan Yu's anger that it took a direct command from my Emperor himself for him not to descend to the Mortal Plain and slaughter the beast himself."

"You still haven't told me just what that thing was."

Seeing the God of the Stove give a curt nod, the boy asked "So, what was it?"

"As I said, we do not usually speak of them…but considering what you have done for not just humanity, but for all of divinity as well, I shall tell you. They are sickening twisted Primordial Ones. Those who existed before the world was young, and thus before the laws of the world. When they walked, things beyond human imagining had claimed all lands as their own, and humans were only just coming into their own. Their age was of dominance was one of darkness, despair, and stuff of night terrors made flesh. The reign of the Primordial Ones was only brought to the end by the Great Demiurge; their great cities and immortal servants and kin washed away to make way for humanity and us." The deity said gravely.

"From the way you're talking, they're not dead." The boy noted gravely.

Chuckling mirthlessly, the God said, "Can an ideal actually die so long as belief in it continues to exist?"

Sighing, Emiya replied in a tone that spoke of one speaking from experience, "No, no it can't."

"I see you understand. My Lord shall be most pleased to hear this." The god said before standing up and placing his now empty bowl on the counter.

"You're leaving?"

The deity of the hearth nodded, "Yes, I believe I've learned all I needed to. I am inclined to think milord will be most pleased with what I have to tell him."

And with that, the Heretic God faded from existence, retreating back to the Realm of Immortality. And, for the remainder of his stay, the boy was distracted. For he was filled with a sense of dread, one that would grow steadily over the coming year until finally reaching a head, when his best friend, Mariya Yuri, was kidnaped…

* * *

**Chapter Length: 21,690 words – Date Completed: 9/11/15 – Fully Betaed as of: 9/30/15**

* * *

**AN: IT. IS. DONE! That's right everybody, the next chap of Youngest Campione is finally here for your viewing pleasure. It is also the longest chapter I've ever written for anything ever. Phew, am I glad it's done as next chap we finally get to do that thing you've all been waiting for! Yep, Emiya finally becomes a Campione next chapter and it is gonna feel so good to able finally write that. **

**I'm sure some of you were wondering what took me so damn long to get this one out. Well, my real life situation has recently become quite complicated and in betwixt me trying to deal with everything that's going on, it's rather hard to find time to sit down and write, much less the motivation needed to actually do said writing. But I pulled through and you all get a chapter to read, so I guess, in the end, that's all that matters right? Well anyway, enough of my blathering! I hope you enjoyed the chap, please review if you did…**

**Hell; please review if you didn't as I love constructive criticism. The keyword here being constructive. Until next time, remember to tip your waitresses people!**

**Also, Bubbajack, Diller, and William Wiltrose out!**


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